By Caitlin Tilley, Dailymail.Com Health Reporter
May 17, 2024 17:59, Updated May 17, 2024 18:51
Experts are warning against cheaper and much more available alternatives to the blockbuster weight loss drug Ozempic that dieters claim to have discovered.
Zyn is a brand of flavored nicotine pouches that has exploded in popularity, especially among Gen Z, amid growing concerns about the health risks of e-cigarettes.
Unlike e-cigarettes, users ingest nicotine by placing the pouch in their mouth like candy. It then dissolves and enters the bloodstream through the gum tissue, giving you a “high” feeling and increased energy.
On social media, users tout its myriad benefits, including increasing the effectiveness of your workouts, staying alert, and even improving sexual performance.
Some Zyn users now say their habits have helped them lose weight quickly.
“Another thing they don’t teach you is that just replacing hunger with Zyn can make a huge difference,” one Instagram user who runs a popular golf page said in a video that has had 4 million views to date. “It means I’m losing a lot of weight.”
“Your son lost about 30 pounds in a month. Oh, Zyn’s photo. It works.’
“How I went from 190 pounds to 140 pounds in less than a year,” another TikToker wrote in a clip that has been viewed 80,000 times with the caption, “Finally within 3 months. “I’m going to lose 30 to 50 pounds.”
Others on Reddit are feeling the effects, too.
“I’ve been using Zyn nicotine pouches sporadically for the past few years, but I started using them regularly because they help me concentrate and keep hunger at bay,” one person said.
Scientists believe that the reason nicotine products slightly suppress appetite is because the substance activates neurons in the brain that control hunger.
Nicotine may also increase the burning of fat, which regulates body temperature in cold environments.
However, this has not been well researched and doctors warn that using pouches is not a safe or effective way to lose weight.
said Dr. Carolyn Bramante, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota. business insider She worries about the unknown potential effects of nicotine pouches on the heart and blood vessels.
Nicotine pouches are also highly addictive and are known to raise blood pressure and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes in vulnerable people.
It’s no surprise that Americans are looking for alternatives to drugs like Ozempic and Wegoby. These drugs result in an average weight loss of 5 percent after 3 months.
The drugs come with a hefty price tag of $1,000 per month and are currently in short supply.
Andrea Hernandez, author of the consumer trends newsletter Snack Shots, told Business Insider: This feels like a prudent way to lose weight. ”
