12/21/2023
it’s important to look at how drugs like Ozempic & wegovy work before forming an opinion.
(there are a lot of judgemental and uneducated discussions around this drug & I don’t want to add to that).
The active ingredient in these drugs is Semaglutide.
Semaglutide has a few impacts on the body which aid fat loss.
Primarily:
1) Reduced appetite
2) Slowed digestion
This drug essentially makes it easier to eat less & thus lose fat.
It will probably stop working if you don’t take it (like most drugs) & people will still have to exercise & consume a well balanced diet to be healthy (it is not a replacement for this).
I think it’s short sighted to say the drug is ‘cheating’ or that there isn’t a place for its use in *some* individuals. E.g. for obesity and type 2 diabetes treatment where this could be life changing (5% body weight loss is often enough to result in diabetes remission).
In response to ‘shouldn’t people just eat less’
Eating less is not as easy for everyone. As an example: some individuals are genetically predisposed to have higher drive to eat. This makes dieting much harder.
There is an interesting and (imo) quite compelling argument that it ‘evens the playing field’ for these people.
I do think it’s use in those already in a healthy BMI range or as a first line treatment for weight loss is worrying.
All drugs have side effects & the risk to reward ratio is different depending on your starting point e.g. potentially life saving for obese or diabetic individuals.
EIQ_nutrition grads you’re going to get a deep dive into the science behind how Semaglutide works (it’s very interesting).
