These days, it’s hard to pick up a newspaper or scroll through the news without seeing a story about the viral “miracle drug” Ozempic. And in the news this week, a new Groundbreaking Research A study of nearly 18,000 subjects found that the drug slows aging and has “wide-ranging benefits beyond health.” [those] It’s exactly as I imagined it would be.”
Originally developed as a symptom management drug for diabetes patients, Ozempic has recently Semaglutide – It’s been called a “generation-defining drug,” and some doctors have even joked about putting it in tap water. Telegraph articleAnd it’s not just because of the promise of fat-loss benefits: Research, including a groundbreaking study published earlier this week, suggests that Ozempic may not only “slow down ageing” but also boost heart health. That’s right: a weekly injection could cut the risk of heart attack and stroke by up to 20 percent, according to research from Professor John Deanfield, one of the UK’s leading cardiologists.
That said, as a health editor with nearly nine years of experience in the industry, I was skeptical of the amount of conclusive scientific research backing up these claims, and even more so, I was skeptical of the number of sensational, clickbait headlines circulating. So naturally, I spoke with some of the top experts in the field and interviewed doctors, nutritionists, and dietitians to get their honest opinions on this controversial injection.
Can Ozempic truly improve heart health and lifespan, or is it just a temporary stop-gap solution that could harm patients’ health in the long run? Let’s take a closer look below. To find out more, read our in-depth explanation of Ozempic for weight loss, the dangers of black market Ozempic, and the difference between Ozempic and WeGovy.
A new study claims Ozempic may “slow down ageing” so we asked the experts for their opinions.
First, let’s look at the study in question. According to Amy Alexander, a registered dietitian at NutriPeak, the study looked at how the drug affects diseases related to heart failure, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer. The results? It was interesting. “Participants who took semaglutide had lower overall mortality, cardiovascular disease and COVID-19 mortality compared to participants who received a placebo,” she explains. That means people who got Ozempic injections were less likely to die from cardiovascular disease and COVID, and therefore lived longer. “Furthermore, the drug improved heart failure symptoms, reduced inflammation levels, and tended to consistently lower the risk of adverse cardiovascular events, regardless of weight loss.”
What does this mean exactly? The short answer is that while the results are by no means conclusive, the study tentatively positions semaglutide as having “potential to have far-reaching effects on cardiovascular care and overall health.”
The question we all want to know the answer to, of course, is whether this study means that Ozempic can be conclusively determined to be “safe” for long-term use. The short answer, according to every expert I spoke to for this article, is no. Jacek SzymanowskiPN, a certified dietitian and health coach, explains: “While this study provides strong evidence of the benefits of semaglutide in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and improving certain health conditions, there is insufficient evidence to say definitively that the drug is safe for long-term use.”
Another thing to note is that although this study looked at a large number of participants, One Regardless of the number of participants, the study will need to see similar results in other papers before drawing any conclusions. “The sample size is fairly large – more than 17,600 people – but this is a single study,” Alexander continues. “Furthermore, the long-term effects of semaglutide use have not been shown (and will not be known for several decades).”
Similarly, as Szymanowski points out, individuals may respond differently to medications, meaning there’s no one-size-fits-all approach and no guarantee it will have the same effect on you and your body.
Not to mention, as Kubanich Takirbashev, MD, a board-certified physician with over 30 years experience in public health and integrative medicine, points out, the study did indeed uncover some pretty serious side effects from participants that seem to have gone unmentioned in most mainstream reporting about the study. “17% of participants discontinued the study due to side effects, with nausea being the main complaint,” he explains. “There were significant benefits in terms of weight loss and improved glycemic control, but Ozempic’s long-term safety profile needs to be further established with regard to associations with risks of thyroid cancer, pancreatitis, etc.”
In short, the new research on Ozempic highlights that it may be an effective way to lose weight when supervised by a qualified medical professional. However, all experts stress that without lifestyle changes, the drug is only a temporary solution, and the benefits will likely be reversed once the injections are stopped.
Call for education over medicine
When they read the results of the study, many of the participants Heart disease, COVID-19, etc. Think about it. Being obese or overweight increases your risk of contracting these diseases. So it stands to reason that if you go from being obese to a healthy weight, you’ll be less likely to contract these diseases. And yet, you never see a headline that claims that maintaining a healthy weight naturally through diet and lifestyle can “slow down aging.”
Of course there are exceptional cases, but what worries me, and what worries many experts I have spoken to, is that anyone can get Ozempic. Not only is this the peak of fad dieting for those who do not seriously evaluate their current lifestyle, but if you stop taking it, you will definitely regain the weight. Not only that, but at this point the long-term side effects of this drug are completely unknown. Helen Parkes, a certified dietitian, agrees and emphasizes that the key here is education. “A comprehensive education program on nutrition and lifestyle is urgently needed in the UK and should start in schools,” she says. Not knowing how to prepare tasty and nutritious meals or how to be physically active in an enjoyable way, she says many people turn to pharmaceuticals without realizing the natural options available to them through proper diet and lifestyle changes.
“We need to focus on education, not medicines,” she continues. “More than 40 percent of cancers are preventable, and many are caused by poor diet and lifestyle habits. The solution is not to add new drugs to the market, but to give people the knowledge they need to make healthier choices.”
She continues: “Ozempic for weight loss is not a solution, but a Band-Aid to a much bigger problem. There needs to be more awareness about the potential side effects and a greater focus on education to help people understand the important link between diet, lifestyle and overall health.”
The conclusion?
As your family doctor and medical advisor IQ Doctor Suzanne Wiley emphasizes that relying solely on medication can lead to addiction, and that stopping the medication can lead to weight regain. “The Ozempic ‘boom’ could have unintended consequences,” she continues. “If it’s seen as a miracle drug, it could discourage people from embracing a healthier lifestyle and lead them to rely more on pharmacological solutions than holistic health approaches.”
Not to mention, the psychological and metabolic effects of stopping the drug after significant weight loss are still not fully understood, raising questions about long-term weight maintenance. “While Ozempic offers significant benefits, it is important that it is used as part of a comprehensive health strategy, not as a standalone solution,” she stresses. “Continued research and careful patient management are essential to ensure safe and effective use.”
