It’s the blockbuster weight loss drug taken by millions of overweight and obese Americans – with 9 million prescriptions written in the last three months of 2022.
But now, experts have revealed that you don’t have to take the medicine – which doctors increasingly advise staying on for life – to get all the benefits.
In a video posted to her TikTok channel, internal medicine physician Dr De Deck claims there are two main ways to get the drug’s benefits without taking it.
The medicine, which can help patients lose a fifth of their body weight, works by interfering with hunger and fullness signals sent between the gut and the brain, which speeds up satiety and stops cravings.
The first way to do this ‘naturally’ according to Dr Deck, is via the gut microbiome – the trillions of healthy bacteria living in our bowel that influence how full or hungry we feel.
‘Ozempic works by increasing GLP1 [a hormone released when we’re full], which slows the movement of food from your stomach through your intestines.
‘There’s a certain bacteria called akkermansia that’s been shown to naturally increase GLP1 levels.’ She explains that this gut bug is available to buy in stores as probiotics.
‘Also, the probiotic VSL3 has been shown to increase GLP1.’
Secondly, what you eat could help to ramp up GLP1 levels.
‘Eating a diet with a tonne of fiber has been shown to increase GLP1 levels.’
Fiber is a major nutrient that less than five percent of Americans eat enough of. Dr Deck advises eating at least eight to 10 grams of fiber per day – which is found in foods like wholegrains such as oats, pulses like chickpeas and leafy green vegetables.
Some 9 million scripts were written for Ozempic in the last three months of 2022 alone
Studies have shown that eating a diet high in fiber – which slows the rate at which food flows through the digestive tract – can significantly reduce the risk of bowel cancer, along with other diseases.
Last month, experts warned that the benefits of Ozempic are often limited – because patients are taken off the drug too quickly, causing them to put the weight back on.
Recent research published in the journal JAMA regarding the long-term effects of a similar drug called tirzepatide showed participants regained almost all the weight after they stopped taking the drug.
The authors said: ‘At least five trials (including the present study) across various classes of medications, including potent antiobesity medications such as semaglutide, have demonstrated that weight is substantially regained after cessation.’
