Ozempic: Study reveals all its benefits and risks beyond weight loss

Ozempicas well as other drugs LPG analogueshave come into fashion in the last year, although they are not new. Ten years have passed since many of these drugs began to be used for type 2 diabetes treatment. However, social media made them famous after it became known that they also help you lose weight. The fame of these drugs has grown so much that many experts warn that they should not be taken without a prescription as they may carry certain risks. But in reality, what are Ozempic risks?

There are several studies looking at the benefits and risks of Ozempic and other similar drugs. However, none of them is as complete as the one just published in Natural medicine group of scientists from St. Louis Health Systemin the United States.

They focused on data from more than 200,000 veterans have diabetes. Some of them received Ozempic or other analogues of liquefied petroleum gas, the rest received other treatment. The purpose of the study was not to see its effectiveness against diabetes, but to determine the likelihood of developing it in each group of patients. other diseases. Thus, some missing evidence was found to demonstrate the benefits and risks of Ozempic that were pointed out in other studies.

Before we start, what are LPG analogues?

GLP is a hormone that is released in response to food intake and produces several desirable effects. On the one side, slows down gastric emptying to enhance the feeling of satiety. Except, reduces appetite. And, on the other hand, stimulates insulin release so that cells can absorb the glucose that is released into the blood when these foods are consumed.

People with type 2 diabetes have altered GLP release mechanisms. For this reason they are usually prescribed analogues like Ozempic or Vegovi. These are drugs that essentially bind to the same cellular receptors as liquefied petroleum gas and mimic its effects. In this way, it is possible to compensate for the deficiency that occurs when the hormone is not released correctly.

Benefits and risks of Ozempic

Ozempic is useful in treating diabetes and obesity for obvious reasons. However, there are studies that suggest it may provide other benefits such as prevention of dementia and cardiovascular diseases. To test whether this is true, the authors of a recent study analyzed the medical records of more than 200,000 veterans with diabetes mentioned earlier. So some interesting trends were indeed discovered.

It was found that patients treated with Ozempic had a lower risk Dementia, drug addiction, psychological disorders, seizure or nervous system disorders, cardiometabolic diseases, blood clotting problems, and respiratory or infectious diseases develop. Some already tangible benefits have been demonstrated and new ones have also been discovered.

What about the risks of Ozempic? Previous studies suggest that its consumption may cause digestive problems or thoughts of suicide. Thanks to this research, it turned out that the first is true, but, fortunately, no evidence was found for the second.

There are also restrictions

It is important to clarify that this study involves multiple tenders. One of them is the population on which it is based, since the majority older men with diabetes. A very large percentage of the population is left out, making it impossible to know whether these benefits and risks of Ozempic can be extrapolated. Let’s remember that it is precisely because in the past almost all clinical trials were conducted on men that today women usually do not take appropriate doses of medications and experience more side effects. We must not end up in the same place again.

On the other hand, a match was found, but it is not clear whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship. That is, more or less clear correlations were found, but the reasons are not known. Moreover, in some cases the correlation is very small. For example, in the case of dementia, the risk reduction was only slightly more than one-tenth.

Despite this, the study authors continue to urge caution. Drugs such as Ozempic should be aimed primarily at diabetics. Each doctor will then decide whether their patients can receive them for some other purpose, such as weight loss. But what we shouldn’t do is run around pharmacies looking for it or even try to buy it online. In some countries where the procurement of drugs is not strictly regulated, there are dangerous shortages of drugs for diabetics. Be careful with this.