While it may be challenging to maintain a healthy, balanced diet and exercise regularly, clinical trials have consistently demonstrated that Ozempic® is most effective when combined with these lifestyle factors.
Attempting to lose weight without the assistance of a professional can often lead to unsuccessful outcomes, as altering long-standing dietary habits and routines can be daunting without proper guidance and support.
Losing weight by reducing calories reduces your basal metabolic rate and energy expenditure during exercise. Simultaneously, it releases hunger and stress hormones like ghrelin and cortisol, leading to weight loss but subsequent weight regain. This is commonly referred to as your body's set-point defence mechanism.
By suppressing hunger signals with a GLP-1 medication like Ozempic®, the body can maintain a lower set point for an extended period, allowing the basal metabolic rate to adapt accordingly.
A study found that addressing obesity necessitates consistent support and ongoing attention. Additionally, weight maintenance-specific counselling is crucial in enhancing long-term weight management.
Ozempic® can lead to some severe health issues, and it's essential to be aware of these potential side effects:
Pancreatitis: If you experience intense stomach pain that won't go away, possibly with vomiting, and it may even spread to your back, you should stop taking Ozempic® immediately and contact your healthcare provider. This could be a sign of pancreatitis.
Vision Changes: If you experience any vision changes while on Ozempic®, you must inform your healthcare provider as soon as possible.
Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia): Ozempic® may lower your blood sugar considerably, especially if you take other medications that lower blood sugar, like insulin or sulfonylureas. Watch out for symptoms like dizziness, blurred vision, anxiety, sweating, confusion, or a fast heartbeat, and if you experience these, seek medical advice promptly.
Kidney Problems: If you already have kidney issues, be aware that side effects like diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting can lead to dehydration, making your kidney problems worse. Staying hydrated is key to reducing this risk.
Severe Allergic Reactions: If you experience a severe allergic reaction to Ozempic®, characterised by swelling of the face, tongue, lips, or throat, difficulty breathing or swallowing, severe rash, fainting, itching, or a rapid heartbeat, seek emergency medical help immediately.
Gallbladder Issues: Some people on Ozempic® may develop gallbladder problems. If you start experiencing pain in your upper abdomen, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), fever, or clay-coloured stools, it's essential to contact your healthcare provider immediately.
Common side effects of Ozempic® typically involve digestive issues, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, pain in the stomach area, and constipation.
The medication semaglutide, known by its brand name Ozempic®, functions by imitating the natural incretin hormones released by your body during meal consumption.
The presence of incretin hormones in the body triggers a series of intricate interactions among the brain, endocrine system, and gastrointestinal tract, effectively conveying the sensation of being satiated or having consumed enough food. This complex web of hormones and neurotransmitters ensures that the body recognises when it has had enough to eat.
It is linked to impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes in individuals; these hormones are crucial for regulating blood sugar levels and can potentially enhance glucose control.
In a healthy individual, the GLP-1 hormone communicates with various organs and tissues, including the brain, muscles, stomach, liver, and pancreas, to relay important information when nutrients are consumed, such as during meals.
The process works differently in each organ system:
In the brain, GLP-1 receptors in the hypothalamus regulate appetite and thirst, signalling to our brain when it's time to stop eating.
In the muscles, GLP-1 plays a crucial role in initiating the gluconeogenesis process, which involves converting proteins and fats into glucose for muscle fuel.
GLP-1 acts as a natural appetite suppressant in the stomach by delaying gastric emptying, which prolongs satiety and reduces food intake, making it effective for weight loss.
In the liver, GLP-1 inhibits glucose production by the liver, thereby reducing blood sugar levels in individuals with impaired glucose metabolism.
In the pancreas, GLP-1 both triggers insulin production and suppresses glucagon secretion, which improves blood sugar control and energy utilisation in the body. This is especially important for those with impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes, or pre-diabetes.
Ozempic® (semaglutide) functions as a GLP-1 receptor agonist, replicating the actions of natural GLP-1 in your body.
By administering Ozempic®, individuals with type-2 diabetes or those who are overweight or obese can effectively regulate their blood sugar levels, compensating for the potentially decreased production of natural GLP-1.
A key benefit of Ozempic® for weight loss is its ability to enhance the sensation of fullness following meals, which contributes to a reduced calorie intake and promotes weight loss.
While Ozempic® can facilitate weight loss and support healthy habits, it should not be considered a standalone solution without requiring lifestyle changes and commitment to a balanced diet and exercise regimen.
To optimise the effectiveness of Ozempic® and maintain metabolic health, combining GLP-1 medications with comprehensive lifestyle strategies is crucial. Mobi Doctor has incorporated evidence-based lifestyle recommendations to provide participants with a holistic approach that enhances the success of Ozempic®.
Following are the recommendations
This is because Ozempic® is designed to help the body lower blood sugar levels more effectively when it is in a healthy state. Eating more mindfully,larly, managing stressors, and improving sleep quality help exercising regu the body be healthier and respond better to Ozempic®.
Semaglutide and Wegovy were recently approved by the European Medicine Agency (EMA) for weight loss and treating obesity. Although Ozempic is currently not licenced for weight loss, it contains the same drug as Wegovy, which is approved and can, therefore, be prescribed to assist you in losing weight.
The first STEP1 study, authored by Professor John Wilding, Professor Rachel Batterham, and other co-authors, was recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine under "Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults With Overweight or Obesity."
Throughout a 68-week study, those who received a Semaglutide injection once a week lost about 15% of their body weight compared to those who received a placebo (2.4% weight loss).
The Ozempic, Semgalutide licensed for type II diabetes, is administered at a considerably lower dose (maximum one milligram) than the weight drug, Wegovy, used in this study (2.4 milligrams).
The study reveals that when people took Semaglutide and began to make healthy lifestyle changes, they could efficiently and effectively lose weight—a few adverse effects led to some people opting to end treatment. The most frequent side effects associated with Semaglutide are nausea and diarrhoea. These side effects usually occur after the initial dose and can be easily managed with a small dose of Esomeprazole.
The results show that the Semaglutide-taking group lost 15% more weight than the placebo group, which lost only 2.4%
Research proves that Semaglutide injections are beneficial in reducing weight. Overweight people who can take medicine and adopt a healthy lifestyle will lose significant weight.
As the number of adults with Type II Diabetes grows worldwide, researchers are conducting more research to assist people in effectively managing their diabetes. Approximately 90% of individuals with Type II Diabetes are either overweight or obese.
We all know that lowering weight can assist blood sugar management and sometimes eliminate Type II Diabetes. Over the last ten years, new drugs have been produced to help people better manage their condition and improve their health. Medications for diabetes are designed not just to reduce blood glucose levels but also to target weight loss.
This study evaluates a new diabetes cure that is still in the early stages of development: Semaglutide. This drug is a GLP-1(Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) metabolite. The commercial/generic names for this medication are Ozempic and Wegovy.
GLP-1 is a naturally occurring hormone that affects glucose and appetite control. Changes in the pancreas and brain regulate blood glucose and hunger. The hormone Glucagon, Peptide, or GLP-1 plays an important role.
GLP-1 stimulates insulin production, which only works when blood glucose is high and does not stimulate insulin production if blood glucose levels are low.
It also inhibits glucagon secretion in response to higher blood glucose levels. Glucagon is a hormone that raises blood sugar levels. When blood glucose levels are low, the pancreas typically produces glucagon.
Glucagon converts the liver's glycogen to glucose. After eating, gastric emptying is momentarily delayed, lowering blood sugar levels. Semaglutide lowers insulin production when blood glucose levels are low.
Beyond this, it can help you lose weight and fat by reducing food consumption and cravings. Ozempic also decreases the preference for high-fat foods.
This means the medication is a glucagon-like peptide taken as an injection. However, only a small amount, starting at 0.25 mg, is injected once a week.
Ozempic also offers many benefits and helps reduce the risk of numerous diseases. For example, when a Type II diabetic patient is treated with Ozempic (Semaglutide) to treat obesity, Ozempic helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases by 26%. In addition, it helps minimise fatal heart attacks.
At the same time, the glucagon peptide in the Semaglutiide helps reduce blood pressure and maintain the liquid plasma level in the blood.
The use of Semaglutide in persons with diabetes mellitus type I or diabetic ketoacidosis is not recommended. Semaglutide is not a substitute for insulin and should be used alongside it.
Patients with heart failure should not take Semaglutide. The New York Heart Association has classified it as a class IV drug.
The use of GLP-1 receptor agonists has been linked to acute pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas. Abdominal discomfort, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting are symptoms of acute pancreatitis. If pancreatitis is suspected, please immediately visit the closest emergency room.
If you have been diagnosed with pancreatitis, stop taking Semaglutide immediately.
Patients treated with Semaglutide or any GLP-1 analogue in combination with a sulfonylurea or insulin may have an elevated risk of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose levels of less than 4mmol/l or 72mg/dl). When starting treatment with GLP-1 analogue, the risk may be lowered by lowering the dose of sulfonylureas, such as gliclazide or insulin.
When receiving Ozempic, women of childbearing age should use contraception. As a result, Ozempic should not be used during pregnancy because there is no information about its safety.