Ozempic and Wegovy, which comprise the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) semaglutide, proceed to be blockbuster medication for Danish pharmaceutical big Novo Nordisk. A Could 2024 report from Forbes famous that the corporate’s general gross sales doubled in comparison with the earlier 12 months, amassing a whopping $1.35 billion.1
Whereas these choices could appear handy, the fixation on weight reduction “magic bullets” could also be doing extra hurt than good. Revealed analysis2 has proven that semaglutide can improve your danger of significant gastrointestinal antagonistic occasions. One current research suggests these medication can put your imaginative and prescient in danger, too.
Ozempic Could Improve Your Threat of Blindness
In a retrospective research3 revealed by JAMA Ophthalmology on July 3, 2024, researchers recommend there’s an affiliation between semaglutide consumption and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) amongst Sort 2 diabetics and/or overweight and obese members.
For context, NAION is a situation marked by lack of blood movement to the optic nerve, which is the neural pathway connecting your eyes to your mind. As soon as blood movement is disrupted, blindness (with out ache) can all of the sudden happen. In response to Brightman and Girls’s Hospital, NAION causes “vital lack of imaginative and prescient in a single eye instantly waking up within the morning,” and that the loss stays secure as soon as it happens.4
Within the JAMA Ophthalmology research, the authors chosen papers revealed from December 1, 2017, to November 30, 2023 with a complete of 16,827 members. From this inhabitants, 710 had been identified with Sort 2 diabetes, and 194 of them had been prescribed semaglutide. Furthermore, 979 had been obese or overweight, and from this quantity, 361 had been prescribed semaglutide.5
After accounting for covarying components similar to gender, age, systemic hypertension and hyperlipidemia, researchers decided the cumulative frequency of NAION from the inhabitants. Outcomes confirmed that within the Sort 2 diabetic subset, 17 NAION occasions occurred. Within the obese/overweight subset, 20 NAION occasions had been recorded.6
Utilizing a mannequin to calculate the chance of creating NAION, the evaluation confirmed startling outcomes. Semaglutide can considerably improve your danger of NAION in comparison with different standard drugs for diabetes and weight problems. In response to the researchers, utilizing this drug will make you 4.28 instances extra more likely to develop NAION should you’re diabetic, and seven.64 instances extra doubtless should you’re obese/overweight.7
Notice, nevertheless, that the research was observational. “Future research is required to evaluate causality,” the researchers mentioned, as they did not go into the specifics of how semaglutide can result in NAION. Nevertheless, the research nonetheless has deserves — all NAION circumstances prescribed with semaglutide had been confirmed by skilled neuro-ophthalmologists. To their information, this research is the primary to have a look at the hyperlink between semaglutide and NAION.8
A Nearer Look Into the Hyperlink Between Semaglutide and Retinopathy
Whereas the JAMA Ophthalmology research was the primary to analyze the hyperlink between semaglutide and NAION, it isn’t the primary occasion different researchers found a hyperlink between semaglutide and eye injury, particularly within the context of diabetic neuropathy.
For instance, a 2023 research9 revealed in Diabetologia famous that throughout the trial section of semaglutide (again in 2016), the drug was noticed to extend the chance of retinopathy, particularly once you’re already diabetic. In one other research,10 semaglutide was linked to considerably larger charges of retinopathy problems, similar to blindness and vitreous hemorrhage.
What are the components contributing to this complication? In response to a research revealed within the World Journal of Diabetes, uncontrolled Sort 2 diabetes could also be a contributing issue when semaglutide is taken. Specifics embody longer diabetes length, larger preliminary HbA1c within the blood and better insulin-treatment fee when the trials started.11 Briefly, should you’re already chronically diabetic, taking Ozempic can considerably improve your danger for retinopathy.
Curiously, the research highlights the essential position of intestine well being with managing diabetes, and the way a wholesome intestine might assist decrease the chance of diabetic retinopathy:12
“Intestine dysbiosis, i.e., the persistent disequilibrium throughout the many various microbial colonies, appears related to a number of inflammatory/metabolic illnesses and central nervous system (CNS) issues, together with retinopathy as an expression of the rising idea of the so-called ‘microbiota-retina axis.’
Certainly, as longstanding diabetes is related not solely with retinopathy but in addition with vital intestinal dysbiosis, related adjustments within the bacterial inhabitants would possibly set off the onset of retinopathy through their affect on the lipid content material of each retinal and CNS tissues …”
Inhibiting Your GLP-1 Receptor Could Have Different Facet Results
Taking GLP-1RAs could be disastrous to your well being. A 2021 research13 revealed within the Journal of Investigative Drugs famous that that these medication can improve your danger of gastroparesis (abdomen paralysis), a situation that slows or stops the motion of meals out of your abdomen to the small gut.
The research offered two sufferers. The primary is a 52-year-old girl with well-controlled diabetes. She visited the clinic of the researchers, hoping to unravel her post-meal epigastric ache, which was marked by fullness, bloating and nausea. Upon tracing her medical historical past, they found that she had been taking semaglutide injections for a month earlier than her signs appeared.14
After testing, it was found that semaglutide triggered delayed gastric emptying. Consequently, the drug was stopped for six weeks, and one other spherical of checks confirmed that gastric emptying improved.15
The second affected person, a 57-year-old feminine, had an analogous case. She had Sort 2 diabetes for 16 years and had been taking weekly dulaglutide (one other GLP-1RA) injections for 15 months. Checks revealed that the drug triggered delayed gastric emptying, and stopping the injections normalized gastric motion.16
One other research,17 revealed in JAMA, famous that along with gastroparesis, GLP-1RAs may improve the chance of biliary illness, pancreatitis and bowel obstruction. EudraVigilance, the European Drugs Company’s system for monitoring antagonistic reactions in medication, additionally famous metabolic, dietary, urinary, cardiac and eye issues related to semaglutide.18
Different revealed research have linked GLP-1RAs within the improvement of pancreatic carcinoma19 and acute kidney accidents.20 Rodent research have additionally proven Wegovy to trigger thyroid C-cell tumors at doses just like these utilized in people and is a contraindication for sufferers with a historical past of medullary thyroid carcinoma.21 Furthermore, Wegovy’s product label warns customers of the next antagonistic reactions:22
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Acute pancreatitis |
Acute gallbladder illness |
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Hypoglycemia |
Acute kidney damage |
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Hypersensitivity reactions, together with anaphylactic reactions and angioedema |
Diabetic retinopathy problems amongst Sort 2 diabetics |
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Coronary heart fee improve |
Suicidal habits and ideation |
Enhance Your GLP-1 Receptor As a substitute By way of Polyphenol-Wealthy Meals
Going again into the position of your intestine microbiome, boosting GLP-1 expression, as a substitute of inhibiting it, could also be higher for weight reduction. A method to do that is by colonizing your intestine with Akkermansia muciniphila, a sort of micro organism that naturally secretes a GLP-1-inducing protein. Researchers famous in a research revealed within the journal Nature Microbiology:
“A. muciniphila will increase thermogenesis and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion in high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced C57BL/6J mice by induction of uncoupling protein 1 in brown adipose tissue and systemic GLP-1 secretion.”
The significance of Akkermansia in supporting intestine well being can’t be emphasised sufficient. In my interview with Georgi Dinkov, I clarify why Akkermansia is such a keystone species. Nevertheless, many individuals lack this particular microbe, which I imagine is attributable to inadequate power manufacturing, leading to oxygen leakage into the intestine.
Sure meals, significantly these wealthy in polyphenols, can nourish the expansion of Akkermansia in your intestine and help general well being. Wholesome sources embody berries, broccoli, apples, ginger, onions, inexperienced tea and carrots.23 A research24 revealed within the Worldwide Journal of Molecular Sciences explains why Akkermansia is linked to higher well being:
“Akkermansia muciniphila is a mucosal symbiont thought-about a intestine microbial marker in wholesome people, as its relative abundance is considerably decreased in topics with intestine irritation and metabolic disturbances.
Dietary polyphenols can distinctly stimulate the relative abundance of A. muciniphila, contributing to the attenuation of a number of illnesses, together with weight problems, Sort 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel illnesses, and liver injury.”
Nature Already Has Its Personal Ozempic
A naturally occurring compound present in goldenseal, barberry, Oregon grape and tree turmeric, berberine has been dubbed as “nature’s Ozempic” due to its skill to help weight reduction naturally.25 In response to a research revealed in Molecules,26 its properties might assist with the administration of Sort 2 diabetes, weight problems, atherosclerosis, most cancers and cardiovascular problems. The researchers define how these advantages happen:
“It positively contributes to elevated ranges of fasting, postprandial blood glucose, and glycosylated hemoglobin, whereas reducing insulin resistance. It stimulates glycolysis, enhancing insulin secretion and inhibits gluconeogenesis and adipogenesis within the liver; by decreasing insulin resistance, berberine additionally improves ovulation.
The antiobesity motion of berberine has been additionally well-documented. Berberine acts as an anti-sclerotic, reducing the LDL and testosterone ranges. The alkaloid displays an anti-inflammatory property by stalling the expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and prostaglandin E2.”
These findings have been verified in different revealed analysis as properly. In response to one systematic evaluate, berberine might assist regulate blood sugar ranges and enhance insulin sensitivity.27 This is a crucial issue as a result of insulin resistance is carefully linked to weight acquire and weight problems, and addressing these might enhance insulin sensitivity, and thus, weight reduction.28
One other research29 revealed in Frontiers in Mobile and An infection Microbiology discovered that berberine might assist “alleviate the pathological circumstances of metabolic issues, and the mechanism is said to the regulation of intestine microbiota.” Furthermore, berberine’s skill to manage the intestine microbiota might increase its absorption.
Decrease Linoleic Acid Consumption for Higher, Lengthy-Time period Outcomes
I imagine that the elusive magic bullet for weight reduction the world is chasing won’t exist in our lifetime. Because the proof has proven, counting on medication that alter your physique’s important features places you vulnerable to debilitating well being points. And when you get off Ozempic/Wegovy, you are more likely to acquire again the burden you have misplaced. In response to a report,30 most individuals who cease semaglutide injections regain two-thirds of misplaced weight — a phenomenon referred to as “Ozempic rebound.”
For safer, more healthy weight reduction, it is necessary to deal with one of many greatest components at present driving the weight problems epidemic — extra consumption of linoleic acid (LA). It is an omega-6 fats present in seed oils broadly utilized in cooking. Distinguished examples embody soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, rapeseed (canola), corn and safflower oil.31
Along with avoiding any meals cooked or made with these oils, ditch the processed meals, quick meals and restaurant meals. When you completely should exit to have a meal, try the Templeton Checklist,32 which lists eating places recognized for his or her more healthy meals choices. They think about standards similar to regionally sourced, sustainable elements and utilization of wholesome oils in cooking.
Lastly, I like to recommend minimizing your LA consumption to under 5 grams (and even higher, under 2 grams) per day, which has similarities to what our ancestors’ consumption earlier than the widespread look of persistent well being circumstances plaguing trendy society at the moment. To be taught extra concerning the hazard of LA, learn my article “Linoleic Acid — The Most Damaging Ingredient in Your Food regimen.“
