The risks of taking Ozempic that are only now emerging and make me worry, by DR EMILY LEEMING By Dr Emily Leeming, Dietitian And Microbiome Scientist Published: 20:53 EDT, 30 September 2024 | Updated: 20:57 EDT, 30 September 2024 e-mail View comments Should you, would you, take Ozempic? It's a question I'm asked by friends and it's a hot topic among my scientist colleagues, too. The answer is complicated. Ozempic has been touted as a new, miracle weight-loss fix that can help those who have battled to shed pounds for years successfully lose weight with a single weekly injection.
The jab contains a drug called semaglutide, originally developed to help manage type 2 diabetes , assisting the body in making more of the hormone insulin and so keeping blood sugar levels in check. Then it was noticed that there was a side-effect –weight loss. The rest, as they say, is history.
The drug has been in such demand that shortages have been reported worldwide. The weight loss occurs as semaglutide mimics the effect of the fullness hormone GLP-1 that's naturally produced in your gut when you eat, signalling to your brain that you are full. The appeal of this synthetic version of GLP-1 is it's longer-lasting and more potent because it's not broken down quickly in the body, hence it can be taken as a weekly injection.
Not only will it cut your appetite but it will also slow the movement of food through the gut, meaning you feel fuller for longer. Other GLP-1 agonists that work like semaglut.
