Weight loss with Ozempic or Wegovy can be effective, but expensive. Enter so-called GLP-1 supplements that have taken on the nickname “nature’s Ozempic.” They’re much cheaper than the injectable prescription drugs, and include , gummies and drink mixes infused with oatmeal and tea.
One of the latest products on the market — Lemme GLP-1 Daily, from Kourtney Kardashian Barker's wellness brand — is advertised as helping to reduce hunger, decrease weight and increase levels of . It's a hormone the body produces when people eat food to signal fullness to the brain. But do these products really work? Doctors are skeptical.
, a Type 2 diabetes medication, and its sister drug , which is specifically approved for weight loss, , which mimics GLP-1. This active ingredient has gone through a rigorous approval process by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration and has been shown to suppress appetite, leading people to lose weight, said Dr. Roshini Raj, a New York gastroenterologist. It’s a different story with the cheaper alternatives.
“What’s very misleading, in my opinion, is a lot of these supplements have the term GLP-1 on the bottle, but they do not contain GLP-1. They do not contain an agonist or a mimicking hormone,” Raj said in a TODAY segment that aired on Thursday, Sept. 19.
“They contain extracts, maybe from fruits or vegetables, that purport to boost your body’s natural GLP-1. But to me, that’s a big difference.” So if you pick up a bottle of suppleme.