Ozempic is a game-changer. Here’s how it works.
This is an Ozempic. It’s a drug approved by the FDA
to manage type 2 diabetes. Maybe you’ve heard the jingle. [singing] “Oh, oh, oh Ozempic.” Or maybe you’ve seen Ozempic
in the news recently for another reason. [overlapping] “Weight loss…”
“… weight loss…” “Easy weight loss.” “Miracle Diet Drug.” “Miracle weight loss drug.” And it’s true. Ozempic was designed to help people manage
their blood sugar… but it’s also proven to help
people lose weight. My doctor was like “This is mainly for blood sugar management.” “But as side effects like you will lose weight.” When I started to notice that,
like in the first month or so had dropped 10 pounds,
like nothing.
I was like, “There’s something
to this.” And once you learn
why it works you’ll understand how this drug could completely change the way
we approach weight loss. According to the latest data from the National Institutes of Health around 42% of adults
in the US are currently categorized
as obese. The CDC’s list of health risks
associated with obesity includes heart disease, stroke,
and type 2 diabetes… diseases that rank among
the leading causes of premature death worldwide. Not everyone living with type 2 diabetes
is considered obese but the two are closely linked. One of the leading
recommendations for managing type 2 diabetes
is weight loss. Even a small amount
of weight reduction for people with diabetes can help
blood sugar management.
I’m Mila Clarke. I’m 33 years old and I have
a type of diabetes called latent autoimmune diabetes
in adults. I reached out to Mila because
she runs a YouTube channel… Hangry Woman, where she
makes videos about living a healthy life
with diabetes. The thing that I wish that
people understood more is how difficult it is to live with both
diabetes and obesity. She’s also documented
her experience with Ozempic. It has always been really hard for me to lose weight despite diet
and exercise and paying attention
to lifestyle habits. For a long time, doctors
have had mixed views on how to make weight loss
more accessible…
To help people lower
their risk for illnesses like type 2 diabetes. One option is weight loss
medication. Historically, weight loss drugs
have been associated with dangerous side effects and have been pulled
from the market. Metabolic bariatric surgery is extremely effective
for weight loss but it requires dramatic
lifestyle changes that can be challenging
to maintain. But with new diabetes drugs
like Ozempic… scientists have a safe and effective
tool for weight loss… and it’s based on something that’s
inside our bodies and already: Hormones. Hormones are the body’s messengers running from one place to another prompting certain cells
into action. When we eat our bodies produce
a bunch of hormones to aid in the process
of digestion. One of them is GLP-1: the hormone that tells us
when we’re full.
This is a sequence of amino acids
that make it up. And this is Sema-glu-tide, the generic name
for Ozempic. It’s made to mimic GLP-1. Here’s why. When food enters your stomach and begins to work its way through
the digestive system… your body releases GLP-1
in the intestine. There are receptors for GLP-1 in cells
throughout the body that serve different functions when triggered by
the hormone.
In the pancreas, GLP-1
receptors promote the production
of insulin the hormone that lowers
blood sugar levels and suppress the production
of glucagon the hormone that raises
blood sugar levels. This is important for people
with type 2 diabetes whose bodies are insulin resistant and produce very little
insulin of their own. Synthetic insulin is
a critical treatment for blood sugar management. And sema-glutide makes
the insulin you do have whether it’s produced naturally
or synthetically work better in your body. Losing excess fat
can also help you become more insulin-sensitive. That’s where GLP-1’s next receptor comes in. In the stomach, GLP-1 receptors
slow gastric emptying… which means food doesn’t move
through the digestive system as quickly and you stay fuller
for longer. It slows the digestion
of your food which overall helps with
blood sugar spikes and it helps you feel fuller for longer
so you don’t eat as much. And maybe most importantly,
at least regarding weight loss there are GLP-1 receptors in the brain…
Particularly in the hypothalamus suppress hunger cravings. That fuller satiety feeling
for longer is helpful. The digestive system is designed
to do all of this naturally but GLP-1-based medications are made
to amplify the hormone’s numerous health effects. And it works. A major clinical trial of
liraglutide in adults showed an average weight reduction
of around 15% when paired with an adjusted diet
and exercise routine compared to a placebo group, which demonstrated a little over
2% weight reduction. That level of effectiveness
rivals the results of metabolic bariatric surgery. And the fact that I was
able to take a once-weekly injection
and then all of a sudden like the pounds just dropped off I was like, “This is wild to me.” These drugs aren’t without side effects the most common being nausea and gastrointestinal effects like diarrhea. Mila initially stopped taking Ozempic because of a side effect that gave her
heart palpitations.
But she’s back on it now. And so far, so good. My blood sugars are great. I’m having an easier time losing weight and I’ve amped up
my exercise and being outdoors and hiking
and running and walking. And you still have to do
all of the other things that everyone has to do
to be able to lose weight. It just makes it a little bit easier. But it’s helping me so much with
my diabetes management. The number of prescriptions
for Semaglutide has risen dramatically since becoming available in late 2017. And in 2021, the FDA approved
Semaglutide to be prescribed at a higher dose for weight
management specifically branded under the name
Wegovy. It was big news and
led to this drug getting a lot of attention
sort of all at once. The messaging started to center
more around weight loss than it did diabetes which is unfortunate for
people with diabetes and people living with obesity. There are these two groups of people who need this drug
for health purposes but it’s being trivialized and kind of looked at as like “Oh, this is an easy
weight loss solution.” There are solutions in place now to deal with the sudden
high demand for these drugs for people
who need them.
Mounjaro, another medication
developed specifically for type 2 diabetes is currently being fast-tracked
for approval by the FDA to be prescribed
for weight loss too. Now that Ozempic’s notoriety helps
Sema-glu-tide goes mainstream and drugs like it
will only become more commonly prescribed
for weight management. It’s not as simple as
“Take this injection and you won’t be living
with obesity anymore.” or “You’ll reverse your diabetes.” But as a community we get
excited to see innovations happen and tools that can make
our lives a little easier and that can cause less
diabetes burnout… and helps you think
about diabetes less. It’s one of those things
that I think… all of us want to protect
at all costs.
Long-Forgotten Costa Rican Tradition Helped Me Melt 167Lbs
ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ
ʜᴏᴡ ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢ-ꜰᴏʀɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴄᴏꜱᴛᴀ ʀɪᴄᴀɴ ᴛʀᴀᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ ʜᴇʟᴘᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴍᴇʟᴛ 167ʟʙꜱ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴛᴜʙʙᴏʀɴ ꜰᴀᴛ ɪɴ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ 1 ʏᴇᴀʀ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴅɪᴇᴛ ᴏʀ ᴇxᴇʀᴄɪꜱᴇ!
ᵢ ᵍₒₜ ᶠᵣₒₘ ₂₉₁ ₚₒᵤₙᵈₛ ₐₙᵈ ₘᵢₛₑᵣₐᵦₗₑ, ₐₗʷₐʸₛ ₜᵢᵣₑᵈ ₐₙᵈ ₕₐᵣᵈₗʸ ₘₒᵥᵢₙᵍ…
ₜₒ ₁₂₄, ₛₗᵢₘ ₐₙᵈ ₗₒᵥᵢₙᵍ ₑᵥₑᵣʸ ₛₑᶜₒₙᵈ ₒᶠ ₘʸ ₗᵢᶠₑ!
