LEAN TIMES

If thinness is next to godliness, why is weight-loss wonder drug, Ozempic, not the miracle cure?

- ARISSA HA

Last year, it was a slap that hogged the headlines at the Oscars; at this year’s awards show, it was all about a weight-loss drug. Host Jimmy Kimmel joked about it in his opening monologue: “Everybody looks so great. When I look around this room, I can’t help but wonder, ‘Is Ozempic right for me?”’

It is an open secret that Ozempic is the reason for many Hollywood luminaries’ newly svelte figures. Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Mindy Kaling, and Rebel Wilson are rumoured to have used it to shed pounds within a very short space of time, though none of them have confirmed this. The few who have admitted to using it include tech mogul Elon Musk, and TikTok influencer and plus-size model Remi Bader. Bader, who was pre-diabetic, started taking it in 2020 on the recommendation of her doctor, to address insulin resistance. This condition drives weight gain due to the body’s inability to regulate blood sugar levels—the excess sugar is converted and stored as fat, which makes the body less sensitive to insulin, thus perpetuating a vicious cycle that makes it harder to take the weight off.

Some people are able to bring down their blood glucose levels and weight, with diet and exercise, but some, like Bader, may need extra help. That’s where Ozempic comes in. Part of a class of drugs known generically as semaglutide, Ozempic is an injectable prescription drug that mimics the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a naturally-occurring hormone that stimulates the pancreas to secrete more insulin when blood sugar levels rise. GLP-1 also suppresses appetite by sending signals to the brain that you’re full, so you eat less.