This is a Ozempic.
It's a drug approved by the FDA to manage type 2 diabetes.
Maybe you've heard the jingle.
[singing] “Oh, oh, oh Ozempic.”
Or maybe you've seen Ozempic in the news recently
for another reason.
[overlapping] “Weight loss...” “... weight loss...”
“Easy weight loss.”
“Miracle Diet Drug.”
“Miracle weight loss drug.”
And it's true.
Ozempic was designed
to help people manage their blood sugar...
but it's also proven to help people lose weight.
My doctor was like
“This is mainly for blood sugar management.”
“But as a side effects like you will lose weight.”
When I started to notice that, like in the first month or so
had dropped 10 pounds, like nothing.
I was like, “There's something to this.”
And once you learn why it works
you'll understand how this drug
could completely change the way we approach weight loss.
According to the latest data from
the National Institutes of Health
around 42% of adults in the US
are currently categorized as obese.
The CDC's list of health risks associated with obesity
include heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes...
diseases that rank among the leading causes
of premature death worldwide.
Not everyone living with type 2 diabetes is considered obese
but the two are closely linked.
In fact, one of the leading recommendations
for managing type 2 diabetes is weight loss.
Even like a small amount of weight reduction
for people with diabetes can help blood sugar management.
I'm Mila Clarke.
I'm 33 years old and I have a type of diabetes
called latent autoimmune diabetes in adults.
I reached out to Mila because she runs a YouTube channel...
Hangry Woman, where she makes videos
about living a healthy life with diabetes.
The thing that I wish that people understood more
is how difficult it is to live with both diabetes and obesity.
She's also documented her experience with Ozempic.
It has always been really hard for me
to lose weight despite diet and exercise
and paying attention to lifestyle habits.
For a long time, doctors have had mixed views
on how to make weight loss more accessible...
to help people lower their risk for illnesses
like type 2 diabetes.
One option is weight loss medication.
Historically, weight loss drugs have been associated
with dangerous side effects
and have been pulled from the market.
Metabolic bariatric surgery
is extremely effective for weight loss
but it requires dramatic lifestyle changes
that can be challenging to maintain.
But with new diabetes drugs like Ozempic...
scientists have a safe and effective tool for weight loss...
and it's based on something that's inside our bodies and already:
Hormones.
Hormones are the body's messengers
running from one place to another
prompting certain cells into action.
When we eat
our bodies produce a bunch of hormones
to aid in the process of digestion.
One of them is GLP-1:
the hormone that tells us when we're full.
This is a sequence of amino acids that make it up.
And this is Semaglutide, the generic name for Ozempic.
It's made to mimic GLP-1.
Here's why.
When food enters your stomach
and begins to work its way through the digestive system...
your body releases GLP-1 in the intestine.
There are receptors for GLP-1 in cells all throughout the body
that serve different functions
when triggered by the hormone.
In the pancreas, GLP-1 receptors
promote the production of insulin
the hormone that lowers blood sugar levels
and suppress the production of glucagon
the hormone that raises blood sugar levels.
This is important for people with type 2 diabetes
whose bodies are insulin resistant
and produce very little insulin of their own.
Synthetic insulin is a critical treatment
for blood sugar management.
And semaglutide makes the insulin you do have
whether it's produced naturally or synthetically
work better in your body.
Losing excess fat can also help you
become more insulin sensitive.
That's where GLP-1’s next receptor comes in.
In the stomach, GLP-1 receptors slow gastric emptying...
which means food doesn't move through the digestive system
as quickly and you stay fuller for longer.
It slows the digestion of your food
which overall helps with blood sugar spikes
and it helps you feel fuller for longer so you don't eat as much.
And maybe most importantly, at least in regard to weight loss
there are GLP-1 receptors in the brain...
particularly in the hypothalamus
that suppress hunger cravings.
That fuller satiety feeling for longer is really helpful.
The digestive system is designed to do all of this naturally
but GLP-1 based medications are made to amplify the hormone’s
numerous health effects.
And it works.
A major clinical trial of semaglutide in adults
showed an average weight reduction of around 15%
when paired with an adjusted diet and exercise routine
compared to a placebo group,
which demonstrated a little over 2% weight reduction.
That level of effectiveness rivals the results
of metabolic bariatric surgery.
And the fact that I was able to take
a once weekly injection and then all of a sudden
like the pounds just like dropped off
I was like, “This is wild to me.”
These drugs aren't without side effects
the most common being nausea
gastrointestinal effects like diarrhea.
Mila initially stopped taking Ozempic
because of a side effect that gave her heart palpitations.
But she's back on it now.
And so far, so good.
My blood sugars are great.
I'm having an easier time
losing weight and I've amped up my exercise
and being outdoors and hiking and running and walking.
And you still have to do all of the other things
that everyone has to do to be able to lose weight.
It just makes it a little bit easier.
But it's helping me so much with my diabetes management.
The number of prescriptions of Semaglutide has risen dramatically
since becoming available in late 2017.
And in 2021, the FDA approved Semaglutide to be prescribed
at a higher dose for weight management specifically
branded under the name Wegovy.
It was big news and led to this drug
getting a lot of attention sort of all at once.
The messaging started to center more around
weight loss than it did diabetes
which is unfortunate for people with diabetes
and people living with obesity.
There are these two groups of people
who really need this drug for health purposes
but it's being trivialized
and kind of looked at as like
“Oh, this is an easy weight loss solution.”
There are solutions in place now
to deal with the sudden high demand
for these drugs for people who need them.
Mounjaro, another medication developed
specifically for type 2 diabetes
is currently being fast tracked for approval
by the FDA to be prescribed for weight loss too.
Now that Ozempic’s notoriety helps Semaglutide go mainstream
it and drugs like it will only become
more commonly prescribed for weight management.
It's not as simple as “Take this injection
and you won't be living with obesity anymore.”
or “You'll reverse your diabetes.”
But as a community we get really excited
to see innovations happen
and tools that can make our lives a little easier
and that can cause less diabetes burn out...
and helps you think about diabetes less.
It's one of those things that I think...
all of us want to protect at all costs.