Ozempic is currently the most spoken-about weight loss drug on the planet. Known for its miraculous weight loss capabilities, women are flocking to their healthcare providers, dreaming of getting their 18-year-old bodies back. Many who are denied prescriptions take to the internet, purchasing this semaglutide from dubious research labs.

The social craze for easy weight loss has always infected the minds of middle-aged women for reasons we can only assume. In fact, only 25% of ageing women are satisfied with their weight, even though 73% are within their correct range. On average, these women want to lose 9% of their current mass, even though only 42% have ever dieted, and even fewer take part in regular exercise.

Some suggest this could be due to hormonal disparity during pre- and post-menopause. Still, it seems not to be the case, as even young women of childbearing age have reported similar despair about their weight management.

To me, this is no surprise given that 1 in 3 adults are overweight, and 42% are classified as obese. With these numbers expected to rise, it seems that women, due to health regulations or social attractiveness – far more likely – want to slim down and fit into their wedding dresses again.

But most don’t turn to proper, extensive dieting or regular exercise; instead, it seems they would prefer the “quick fix” of semaglutide therapy.

Characterised by appetite regulation, semaglutide, like the world-renowned Ozempic, mimics a bodily hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). After we eat, GLP-1 is naturally released from the intestines and helps signal fullness to the brain. By activating GLP-1 receptors, Ozempic reduces appetite and makes people feel fuller sooner, leading to a natural reduction in caloric intake. Additionally, these drugs help with insulin secretion when blood glucose levels rise, typically after a carbohydrate-dense meal.

However, these GLP-1 receptor agonists have numerous consequences that have been publicly ignored.

Firstly, long-term usage affects the body’s natural insulin signalling. For the non-diabetic user, this drug interferes with how their body regulates blood glucose and insulin levels. In other words, by continuously altering insulin release, your body cannot manage it without the help of a GLP-1 agonist, which directly leads to elevated blood glucose levels. This is one of the many reasons why non-diabetic users have seen drastic weight gain after stopping administration. Some users have even developed chronic hyperglycaemia (chronically elevated blood glucose), causing them to need similar medications to diabetic patients. This means that by taking a weight loss drug when your body does not need it, you could inadvertently cause yourself to develop type 2 diabetes.

Secondly, long-term use of semaglutides influences your appetite control, especially concerning the hunger hormone, ghrelin. Consistent usage of Ozempic-like treatments can chronically suppress appetite, significantly affecting the metabolic and mental health of the user. Once your body has adapted to this assistance, it will need it for the rest of your life. In this regard, it works similarly to bodybuilders injecting high amounts of androgens and aromatase inhibitors. When these users come off such enhancers, their testes may never produce enough testosterone again, causing them to need TRT for life.

Next, we have the impact on thyroid hormones. GLP-1 receptors are present within our thyroid C-cells. In animal studies, long-term exposure to GLP-1 agonists causes C-cell hyperplasia and MTC, a form of thyroid cancer. Currently, there is no confirmation whether this relationship exists in humans, but I do not want to be the one to find out. Other than possible cancer proliferation, long-term usage of Ozempic-like drugs can cause high calcitonin levels, leading to several thyroid abnormalities. Characterised by its central role in energy regulation, thyroid issues associated with excessive calcitonin levels include precursors to thyroid cancers, chronic kidney disease, and numerous gastrointestinal disorders.

Finally, we have the relationship between rapid weight loss and the gallbladder’s CCK hormone. Regulating bile release from the gallbladder is vital to reducing the risk of gallstones and gallbladder disease. When someone goes through excessive and rapid weight loss, this organ is unable to regulate its CCK production, leading to reduced bile movement and an increased risk of these conditions. If this problem goes unchecked, it could lead to immense pain and the need for gallbladder surgery.

All these consequences of taking semaglutides, to me, do not outweigh the perceived benefits. This is especially true since this article did not even touch on the indiscriminate muscle loss during treatment. As our metabolism cannot understand your intentions, it equally divides the weight loss between muscle mass and fat mass. The biggest factor in longevity? Muscle mass. Not only does it help with strength and fragility, but muscle mass also increases your metabolism, helping you burn fat faster.

My recommendation? Do not take highly consequential drug treatments purely because you cannot be bothered to diet and exercise properly. 99.9% (my own common-sense statistic) do not hold enough fat mass that they cannot go to the gym, stick to a caloric deficit, and address their mental state. In fact, I believe the obsession with these drugs is just a projection of insecurities, where these people know the hard work that’s needed but don’t have the personal motivation to get it done.

You might see this as a harsh opinion that I have no right to make, but to me, it is exactly what the people who are drooling over this treatment need to hear.