After appearing a few kilos lighter, businessman Elon Musk openly declared that he resorted to the help of intermittent fasting and Ozempic, a diabetes medication that has been attracting attention for its weight-loss effects.
Suzanne Freitas, daughter of Kelly Key, and American presenter Oprah Winfrey are also on the team that used no taboos. Maiara and the Kardashian sisters went through speculation that they had used it, but they did not confirm it.
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Doctor of several celebrities and one of the biggest names in the country in Medicine and Sports Performance, with more than 1 million followers on Instagram, Dr. Rodrigo Schröder explains how the medicine works, states that the result is not usually permanent and highlights the dangers of use without medical prescription.
Medication for type 2 diabetes – Yes, Ozempic is approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), but not for the treatment of obesity, but for diabetes.
However, studies sponsored by the manufacturer suggest that people who use semaglutide – the active compound in Ozempic – can lose weight. “But not everyone loses weight using it and it can have many side effects”, says the doctor.
What can cause weight loss, according to Dr. Rodrigo, is that the medication “affects the hunger centers in the brain, reducing hunger, appetite and cravings and delays the rate of stomach emptying, effectively prolonging satiety after the meals”.
‘Rebound’ effect
Just like other weight loss medications that have been a fever at some point, Ozempic also leaves the patient susceptible to regaining weight.
“It’s an expensive medicine and people tend to regain all the weight they lost and even more,” says the doctor. “The big problem is that people take medication but don’t change their mentality or their lifestyle.”
According to the professional, weight regain happens when the delay in gastric emptying is normalized and the person returns to eating as before or even more so as they regain their appetite.
‘Ozempic’s Head’ does not exist!
In fact, according to Dr. Rodrigo Schröder, aesthetic transformation can cause this impression.
“You’re used to that person with a head size does not change the size of the head”, says the doctor.
Scratchs
The most dangerous aspect of most medications is self-medication and with Ozempic it would be no different. “Whoever does this may end up taking a high dose, which can result in flaccidity, loss of muscle mass, in addition to suffering more serious side effects, such as malnutrition and dehydration”, teaches the specialist.
The doctor even highlights an article published by the magazine Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, which concluded that prolonged use of these medications can lead to an increase in the volume of the small intestine, obstruction of the organ and intestinal paralysis.
“Okay, but does it work? Yes, it works. When combined with diet and exercise, semaglutide can promote weight loss,” says Schröder.
He remembers, however, that a change in lifestyle is necessary.
“Obesity is multifactorial. If you don’t change your lifestyle, you will gain weight again or be ‘skinny fat’, aesthetically thin and in poor health. No medication alternative will be more important than changing your mentality and relationship with your food and exercise”, he concludes.
