Ozempic, recognized generically as semaglutide, is a drug initially developed to deal with Kind 2 diabetes, and it really works by mimicking a pure hormone referred to as GLP-1. Its generally marketed results embody regulating blood sugar, slowing digestion, and decreasing urge for food — and these are the the reason why many are actually counting on it to additional their weight reduction objectives.
However because the variety of folks worldwide utilizing these medicine continues to develop, so does the listing of damaging well being results which are being related to it. One research, for instance, linked Ozempic to results on muscle power, despite the fact that muscle dimension stays steady. In animal fashions, this was related to elevated frailty threat and lowered bodily efficiency — findings researchers word urgently want affirmation in human scientific trials.
Examine Finds Surprising Patterns in Muscle Well being Throughout Ozempic Use
A current animal research revealed in Cell Metabolism investigated how Ozempic modifications physique tissues past simply fats loss.1 Carried out by researchers from the College of Utah Well being, the research discovered that though modifications in muscle mass seem trivial, the identical can’t be stated for muscle power. In accordance with a press launch from the College, this factors out “an pressing want for scientific research to pin down the total results of the favored medicines.”2
• The analysis used mice because the research inhabitants and produced stunning outcomes — They discovered that the lean mass of the take a look at topics dropped by about 10% general. Nonetheless, most of that lower got here not from skeletal muscle however from organs just like the liver, which shrank practically in half.
• Because of this your organs are additionally reshaping throughout weight modifications — The researchers stated that some organ shrinkage is taken into account regular throughout wholesome weight reduction. Nonetheless, the precise results on people are nonetheless unclear.
• Skeletal muscle mass additionally shrank barely — The researchers famous a 6% discount in these muscle mass, though this wasn’t sufficient to elucidate the entire lean mass loss. Some muscle mass even stayed the identical dimension. The researchers defined that this might mirror a “return to baseline,” as a result of whenever you acquire fats, your physique additionally tends to construct extra muscle simply to maneuver the additional weight round. As fats goes away, that supportive muscle drops as effectively.
• A major discovering was the mismatch between muscle dimension and muscle power — When the scientists examined how a lot pressure the mice’s muscle mass might produce, they discovered some muscle mass acquired weaker despite the fact that their dimension seemed unchanged. In others, power remained unchanged.
• These results increase explicit considerations for older adults — Folks over 60 years outdated are already at a better threat for muscle weak spot and mobility points, so if the drug-related power declines noticed in mice translate to people, it might enhance falls and scale back independence. As senior writer Katsu Funai, Ph.D., emphasised, “the lack of bodily perform is a powerful predictor of not simply high quality of life however longevity.”3
The researchers cautioned in opposition to drawing one-to-one comparisons with folks, stressing the urgency of conducting human scientific trials to substantiate these findings. They defined that whereas the mice within the research turned overweight from consuming a high-fat food regimen, human weight acquire comes from many causes, together with poor sleep, stress, and genetics.
Nonetheless, there are comparable research highlighting these results of Ozempic and comparable GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines in your musculoskeletal well being, including to the rising physique of proof suggesting that fast weight reduction has damaging penalties to your well-being.
Ozempic Alters Extra Than Simply Your Weight
Earlier this 12 months, I revealed an article on how Ozempic leads to alarming side effects, affecting customers not simply bodily but in addition psychologically, and even influencing their long-term well being trajectory. One of many major factors I raised was that these medicine are resulting in extreme lack of muscle and bone.
• GLP-1 medicine scale back lean mass, in line with research — To raised perceive, it is necessary to know what “lean mass” is. Merely put, this refers back to the weight of the whole lot in your physique besides fats — muscle mass, bone mass, organ dimension, fluids, and water in fats tissues.4
In accordance with one evaluation, as much as 40% of complete weight misplaced on semaglutide could come from lean mass, whereas liraglutide, the energetic ingredient in Victoza, a GLP-1 drug much like Ozempic, has been linked to a discount of as much as 60% of complete weight misplaced.5 A 2023 research revealed in Diabetes Care additionally in contrast semaglutide and tirzepatide with a placebo and located lean mass discount accounted for 15% or much less in complete weight reduction throughout all teams.6
• GLP-1s show you how to shed fats, however trigger you to lose priceless tissue, too — One scientific trial involving 140 members with a imply age of 52 seemed on the results of semaglutide and located that in a 68-week interval, they had been capable of lose 23 kilos of fats — however on the identical time, misplaced about 15 kilos of lean muscle mass as effectively. That is practically 40% of their complete weight reduction coming from tissue the physique truly must survive and thrive.7
• Speedy weight reduction additionally causes you to lose necessary bone tissue — A 2024 research involving 195 members discovered that liraglutide led to decrease bone density — significantly within the backbone and hip. Revealed within the JAMA Community Open, the research stated:
“Liraglutide alone led to weight and fats loss in contrast with placebo; nevertheless, this was related to decreased hip and backbone BMD in contrast with placebo and train alone.”8
• This mix of lowered muscle mass and low bone mineral density poses a mortality threat, particularly to older folks — Having low muscle mass and fragile bones results in a better threat of damage from falls, significantly in older populations who wrestle with mobility. It could additionally compromise your immune system,9 doubtlessly decreasing your physique’s potential to deal with infections, which can also be a standard well being concern among the many aged.
Muscle and Bone Injury Make Up Only a Fraction of Ozempic’s Total Influence on Well being
Ozempic has turn into a “international sensation,” with an estimated 20 million folks utilizing it yearly to assist them attain their weight reduction objectives sooner.10 However as increasingly folks turn into hooked on this pattern, the extra its ugly facet begins to floor. That is the factor about taking shortcuts, particularly in terms of your well being — there will be severe penalties.
I have been sounding the alarm about GLP-1 agonists for just a few years now, and when you do an in-depth search on this web site, you will see the numerous articles I’ve written exposing the pitfalls of those so-called “miracle medicine.” Under, I’ve highlighted some examples of unintended effects related to Ozempic and different comparable medicines:
• Noticeable bodily modifications — These embody what’s referred to as “Ozempic face,”11 which is when an individual loses an excessive amount of facial fats, resulting in a hollowed-out, gaunt look, and “Ozempic breast”12 in ladies, whereby their breasts turn into “saggy” or “deflated” on account of an excessive amount of fats loss.
• Dental well being issues — There are actually growing instances of tooth- and gum-related well being points amongst those that use GLP-1 medicines — a phenomenon dubbed as “Ozempic teeth.” These embody signs like tooth decay, oral infections, unhealthy breath, and dental collapse. Even these with no prior historical past of dental illness are experiencing these unintended effects.
• Blindness — A 2024 research revealed by JAMA Ophthalmology discovered a hyperlink between semaglutide and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) amongst Kind 2 diabetics and obese or overweight members.
This situation is marked by a lack of blood move to the optic nerve, the neural pathway connecting your eyes to your mind.
In accordance with the research findings, semaglutide was related to a 4.28 instances increased probability of creating NAION amongst diabetic members, and a 7.64 instances increased probability amongst those that had been obese or overweight.13
• Suicide ideation — One JAMA Community Open evaluation of World Well being Group (WHO) adverse-event studies discovered a forty five% larger charge of suicidal ideation studies amongst sufferers taking semaglutide in comparison with different medicines.14 This can be associated to how the drug’s essential element targets GLP-1 receptors, that are current not simply within the digestive tract but in addition in mind areas concerned in managing feelings.
• Kidney harm — There are studies of semaglutide customers experiencing kidney points like acute interstitial nephritis (AIN), a severe kidney irritation, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). FSGS is related to an elevated threat of kidney failure.15
• Gastrointestinal problems — A 2023 research revealed in JAMA linked GLP-1 agonists to an elevated threat of significant well being situations like pancreatitis, abdomen paralysis, and bowel obstruction.16 There are additionally research warning in regards to the potential threat of those medicine inflicting deadly intestinal obstructions.17
• Thyroid tumors and other cancers — There are animal research exhibiting semaglutide causes thyroid C-cell tumors “at clinically related exposures,” a motive why this medicine carries a black field warning.18 There’s additionally an incident in a trial whereby a affected person developed metastatic pancreatic carcinoma about 65 days post-treatment.19
There’s Additionally the Drawback with ‘Ozempic Rebound’
One other difficulty with taking shortcuts to drop pounds is that the results should not long-term — ultimately, many sufferers find yourself gaining again the load they misplaced, which means all their efforts go down the drain. That is what’s referred to as “Ozempic rebound.”
For instance, a scientific trial performed in 2022 discovered that amongst 327 long-term semaglutide customers, lots of those that stopped utilizing the drug regained about two-thirds of their misplaced weight inside a 12 months.20
• Stopping Ozempic could convey again all of your starvation cues and cravings — Mainly, whenever you take Ozempic after which go chilly turkey, the starvation cues it had suppressed come raging again. This leads you to revert to unhealthy consuming, which causes the load to return.
• Even the opposite purported “well being advantages” disappear — Ozempic is alleged to assist scale back blood strain, however this might bounce again whenever you discontinue utilizing the drug.
• Sufferers are suggested to cease the drug after a interval of use — Throughout this time, they should assess their cravings for carbohydrates. Benjamin Bikman, Ph.D., a metabolic scientist at Brigham Younger College in Utah, stated in a Every day Mail article, “Ideally, an individual has realized easy methods to eat higher and management carb cravings and their weight reduction will be sustained in the long term.”21
There Are Higher Methods to Assist Handle Your Weight
Going again to the featured research, the researchers famous that their findings on muscle stress can present insights to assist in the manufacturing of different weight reduction medicine. “There are numerous extra weight reduction medicine which are in scientific trials and popping out within the subsequent three to 5 years,” Funai says. “However with all these scientific trials, in the event that they’re focused on measuring lean mass loss, they should think about bodily perform,” Funai stated.
However that’s precisely what’s incorrect with this image — many have turn into so engrossed by these fast treatments to shed kilos and fail to appreciate that these should not long-term options.
I imagine that the important thing to eliminating extra fats and sustaining a wholesome weight lies in optimizing your mobile power manufacturing. And whereas it includes a multifaceted method that takes effort and time to implement, the payback is so a lot better, because it results in safer, more healthy outcomes — one thing GLP-1 receptor agonists do not provide. Listed here are key methods that I like to recommend for wholesome weight administration.
1. Remove vegetable oils and ultraprocessed meals out of your food regimen — These comprise excessive quantities of linoleic acid (LA), which disrupt your metabolic pathways and alter how your physique shops fats. As a substitute, prepare dinner your meals utilizing tallow, grass fed butter, or ghee. Ideally, maintain your LA consumption round 5 grams per day; if you will get it right down to 2 grams, that will be higher.
2. Shift your carbohydrate sources step by step — Select fruits, complete grains, and well-cooked greens as your carb sources. In case your intestine is compromised, begin by introducing simply digestible carbohydrates like complete fruit or white rice earlier than incorporating extra advanced carbs. For these with extreme intestine points, sipping dextrose water will present the cells with a gentle supply of easy-to-digest, wholesome carbohydrates for power.
3. Contemplate your protein consumption — Intention for 0.8 grams of protein per pound of your ultimate physique weight from a mixture of high-quality animal sources. This will assist assist muscle upkeep, tissue restore, and hormone stability. In the event you train incessantly, you would possibly must barely enhance your consumption. My suggestion is to take it gradual and hearken to how your physique responds.
4. Assist your mitochondrial well being with different wholesome habits — Getting every day solar publicity is one instance; nevertheless, when you’re nonetheless consuming vegetable oils, ensure to keep away from intense noon solar for at the least six months. Analysis suggests vegetable oils could accumulate in pores and skin tissue and contribute to oxidative stress below UV publicity.22 Study extra about this by studying “The Fast-Track Path to Clearing Vegetable Oils from Your Skin.”
5. Increase your GLP-1 ranges naturally with Akkermansia muciniphila — This bacterium is a keystone pressure in your microbiome. Having increased ranges of Akkermansia is related to decrease weight, higher blood sugar management, decrease irritation, and fewer physique fats. In the meantime, having decrease ranges is linked to weight problems.
Continuously Requested Questions (FAQs) About Ozempic and Muscle Well being
Q: What’s Ozempic and why are so many individuals utilizing it?
A: Ozempic, or semaglutide, was initially designed to handle Kind 2 diabetes by mimicking a pure hormone referred to as GLP-1. It helps regulate blood sugar, slows digestion, and curbs urge for food. Due to these results, hundreds of thousands worldwide now use it as a fast resolution for weight reduction, making it one of the talked-about medicine in recent times.
Q: How does Ozempic have an effect on muscle well being?
A: Animal research present that Ozempic use could scale back muscle power even when muscle dimension stays principally steady. This might create a hidden drawback — your muscle mass could look the identical however carry out worse. This decline in power could enhance the danger of frailty, falls, accidents, and lack of independence, significantly as you age.
Q: Does Ozempic impression organs and bones too?
A: Sure, it does. Analysis has proven that Ozempic could not solely scale back fats but in addition shrink organ dimension, particularly within the liver, which shrank practically in half in animal research. It could additionally result in potential decreased bone density within the backbone and hips, elevating the danger of fractures, frailty, and well being problems, particularly in older adults.
Q: What different unintended effects are linked to Ozempic?
A: Past weight reduction, Ozempic has been tied to a variety of non-favorable unintended effects. These embody sagging pores and skin and facial fats loss (“Ozempic face”), dental collapse often known as “Ozempic enamel,” imaginative and prescient harm, kidney points, gastrointestinal paralysis, pancreatic tumors, and even increased charges of suicidal ideas.
Q: Is weight reduction from Ozempic everlasting?
A: No, the outcomes typically don’t final. Many customers expertise “Ozempic rebound,” the place they regain a lot of the weight they’ve misplaced inside a 12 months after stopping the drug. Starvation and cravings return rapidly, and even the short-term well being advantages, like decrease blood strain, diminish.
These findings embody outcomes from animal fashions and scientific analysis. Outcomes could not apply to all people.
This text is for informational functions solely and doesn’t represent medical recommendation. Seek the advice of a professional healthcare supplier earlier than making modifications to your well being routine.
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