A miracle weight loss drug that’s approved in the US and the UK and has few side effects?

Ozempic is going viral on social media. Users are posting dramatic before and after pictures of their weight loss. An Ozempic trend is allegedly blossoming in Hollywood, and famous personalities like Elon Musk claim to have taken it.

Many remain doubtful, dismissing the craze as just another internet scam preying on people’s insecurities. However, earlier this month - semaglutide - the drug’s active ingredient, was approved as a weight loss treatment in the UK’s National Health Service. Even the most sceptical are taking note.

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 ‘gamechanger’ in regards to the treatment of obesity.

Dr Robert Kushner is a Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University, and a founder of the American Board of Obesity Medicine: https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/faculty-profiles/az/profile.html?xid=11686

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Timecodes:

00:00 – Introduction
01:51 – Quickfire questions
02:54 – What is Ozempic and how does it work?
04:28 – Treating obesity like diabetes
08:58 – The ‘gamechanger’ Semiglutide clinical trial
12:53 – The role our ancestors play in our weight
15:50 – Short term weight loss vs long term weight loss
17:14 – Myths about obesity
20:27 – Obesity, a modern problem
22:30 – Other outcomes of the clinical trial
24:33 – The side effects of Semiglutide
29:19 – Risks of using Semiglutide without medical supervision
30:39 – Is Semeglutide linked to cancer?
33:33 – Can you take it If you’re not obese?
35:49 – Continual use of Ozempic
39:23 – Will I put on weight if I stop taking it?
42:33 – Is this the end of obesity
46:04 – Summary
49:02 – Outro

Episode transcripts are available here: https://joinzoe.com/learn/category/podcasts

Dr. Robert Kushner’s book, Six Factors to Fit: Weight Loss that Works for You!, is available to buy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Factors-Robert-Kushner-author-Nancy/dp/195112300X/ref=sr_1_5?qid=1679932382&refinements=p_27%3ARobert+Kushner&s=books&sr=1-5

Follow Dr. Robert Kushner: https://drrobertkushner.com/

Studies mentioned:
Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity from the New England Journal of Medicine: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183

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