Ozempic. Podcast interview with chief researcher in its clinical trial

[dinglethedragon]

FYI

You might be interested in this podcast

"But earlier this month, semaglutide — the drug’s active ingredient — was approved as a weight loss treatment by the U.K.’s National Health Service. Even the most skeptical are taking note.
In class="underline">scienceand_nutrition.captivate.fm/ today’s episode, Jonathan speaks to Dr Robert Kushner the lead investigator of the huge phase 3 clinical trial that evaluated the safety and effectiveness of semaglutide. He is a founder of the American Board of Obesity Medicine and hailed the drug as a ‘game-changer’ in regards to the treatment of obesity.
Please be aware: Dr. Kushner is also a consultant on the medical advisory board for Novo Nordisk - the company that manufactures semaglutide.
(Don't know what's happened to the formatting sorry.)

Anyway - it was a really interesting podcast. He compares it to insulin for a diabetic. What would concern me is that he says (if I understood him correctly) you have to be on it for life.

joinzoe.com/learn/podcast-can-ozempic-semaglutide-solve-weight-loss

Interesting will listen!!

Bump.

So many people now taking this drug. Please listen to this podcast with one of the researchers on the main study that Ok'd it for use.

He is very clear that it is not a "jump start" solution, it's to treat a disease called obesity. He says you have to be on it for LIFE for weight loss to be maintained, unless you make the lifestyle changes the weight will creep back on again. The analogy is to insulin for a diabetic.

He is certainly not in favour of internet prescribers.

"[00:36:25] Dr. Robert Kushner: It's important to frame the conversation of what obesity is before I get into what happens when you stop it. I used to compare it all the time to either hypertension, asthma, or diabetes. And that is, these are chronic medical problems that you take medication for.
And if you stop taking the medication. Those medical problems are likely to come back, whether it's diabetes, asthma, or hyper. I think people understand that. So if you go on a statin agent for high cholesterol, most people say, okay, I get it. I need to use it long-term to keep my LDL cholesterol down. So I frame it in the same context.
Obesity is like a chronic disease like that. If you stop taking the medication, there's a high likelihood the obesity's gonna come back. So how does it come back? It comes back primarily and it's very subtle. People will say, I'm starting to eat a little more food because I'm not as content as I was when I took the medication.
I'm starting to snack a little bit more. Or nibble throughout the day, which I wasn't doing for a long period. I'm starting to have the enjoyment of food, an enticement of foods that I didn't have before. Very, very subtle, but that's how the medication works. It alters your perception of how much food you need.
And that's what keeps you in a calorie deficit to lose weight and a lower calorie intake, thereafter. So it's very subtle and when I see patients come back, either they ran outta the medication or they couldn't find it in the pharmacy, and they'll come back two weeks to a month later and say, I've already gained a few kilograms or a few pounds, and I explore with them, what's going on, and that's what they tell me.
I'm just starting to eat a little bit more food. So that's how the drug works and changes your sense of appetite. "

I found this a sobering podcast.
You’ll be on the drug forever if you are to keep the weight off basically.
They also talk about the set point theory and how it’s very hard to consistently shift it down once it has gone up.
Did you think it was a weird podcast for Zoe? Their whole thing is gut health and avoiding inflammation and here is an expert saying “if you’re fat and unhealthy, you always will be”.

I find that a very negative way of looking at it. For some people it will be the jumpstart they need. For others it will get them down to a healthier starting point so that if they do regain some, they’re gaining from a lower point. Many people lose a bit in the summer, for example, then gradually regain in the winter months only to do it again the next summer. But if they never had the summer loss, they’d just keep gaining forever.

I thought it was odd to begin with, - but the message I got on listening was very much this is a drug to treat a serious medical problem, obesity which is life threatening. It's not a drug to deal with ordinary weight loss. The lead researcher on its clinical trial doesn't think it should be used and dispensed without monitoring by medical professionals. It's an extreme solution (with potentially serious side effects) for a serious medical issue.

The zoe programme is about achieving health, including a healthy weight, through eating a sensible diet and supporting the gut microbiome. It's the opposite of a fast solution - which is basically what Dr Kushner says should be the case for anyone with a BMI under 30

" it is indicated for an individual with a BMI of 30 or more. Or 27 or more with a medical complication like diabetes, high blood pressure, high fats, and blood, that gets you in the door for the prescription.
If you don't meet that, then you'd be, the prescriber would be using an off-label or you don't have that indication if someone has an increased body mass index and no medical problems whatsoever. I have a long discussion with them. First, I double down on lifestyle, eating a healthy diet, balanced diet, calorie deficit, and reducing ultra-processed foods.
More plant-based, is the way that I, think about it. Robust physical activity, and good sleep hygiene. Don't use substances like alcohol, tobacco, and social environment. I talk a lot about that. "

So you disagree with the lead researcher on the clinical trial which led to its approval. A medical scientist who works for the company which makes it - who says it should not be used in that way.

That's either a brave or foolish stance to take 🤷🏼‍♀️

But all he’s saying is what everybody knows. That there’s no magic bullet that will make you slim forever, you have to work at it. Making better choices about what you eat is a lifelong thing. Most people know that. They just expect Ozempic to help them lose some weight, I doubt they expect it to magically keep them slim forever.

People know but also they don’t want to think about it. My own experience was that I took Ozempic (only for about 6 weeks due to nausea & vomiting) but thought when giving it up that I could maintain the weight loss.
I couldn’t, my appetite came back with a vengeance. I think this probably happens however long you have been on Ozempic/Wegovy.
It’s a sad thought to be on a weight loss drug for life. But I do think that could be the reality for a lot of people or maybe episodes of taking it/ not taking it as their weight rises & falls.