Tiktok is no stranger to life hacks while some are strangely wholesome, others you have to take with a grain of salt or, in this case, thread with extra caution.
Weight loss is a contentious issue, and depending on your genetic make up and lifestyle habits, it's easy for others to lose weight while for some, it's not, making hopping on to TikTok trends the next best thing.
The hashtag #OzempicWeightLoss now has over 300 million views on TikTok, with users documenting their weight loss journey thanks to the Novo Nordisk-manufactured diabetic drug.
Diabetes is a chronic condition that, if untreated, frequently results in other complications like heart disease and diabetic retinopathy. Ozempic is a treatment for type 2 diabetes.
The medication helps balance out hormones like insulin, which may curb appetite and allow people to shed pounds by eating less.
Although it was created for a completely different purpose than what it has gained popularity for, TikTok users are more focused on one major side effect of the drug, which is weight loss.
In spite of the fact that Ozempic isn’t currently approved for weight loss in people without diabetes, trials showed a 15% to 18% weight loss in adults who were overweight or obese.
Obesity and being overweight have been linked to a number of secondary conditions, including cardiovascular disease.
A two-year cardiovascular outcomes trial showed that the once-weekly injectable -Ozempic® reduced cardiovascular risk by 26% more than the placebo when added to the standard of care for high-risk subjects with diabetes.
One of the major disadvantages of the needle-administered drug Ozempic is that once a patient stops taking it, the weight does not stay off. This could be due to a number of things, including lack of exercise and poor dietary eating habits.
In an interview with nutrition expert Stephanie Brown, David C. W. Lau, MD, PhD, director of the Julia McFarlane Diabetes Research Centre at the University of Calgary, stated that medications can also alter one's food preferences, which may make processed foods less appetising.
Additionally, Lau stresses the importance of treating obesity as a chronic disease, not simply a matter of body image.
One user attests to eating less while their water consumption has sky-rocketed since starting to use Ozempic.
While side effects are typically mild, some experts are concerned about the safety of its long-term use. Some of its common side effects include constipation, vomiting nausea, and possible thyroid tumours, including cancer.
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