‘Ozempic Breast’ — The Latest Side Effect of a Popular Weight Loss Drug

Fast weight reduction medicine proceed to surge in reputation, making them the foremost contributor to the 13.5% enhance in spending on prescription drugs within the U.S. in 2023, based on a report¹ from the American Journal of Well being-System Pharmacy.

Main this pattern is semaglutide, higher identified by its model names Ozempic, a diabetes medicine, and Wegovy, a higher-dose variant particularly for weight reduction. Each medicine come from the Dutch pharmaceutical firm Novo Nordisk, whose market capitalization has soared to $609 billion, surpassing Tesla’s valuation by $40 billion.²

Nevertheless, with the rising demand for these medicine comes extra experiences of customers experiencing a variety of sudden and regarding adjustments to their our bodies, from free pores and skin to sunken cheeks colloquially termed “Ozempic face.” The newest reported aspect impact to affix the rising checklist is saggy breast, aka “Ozempic breast.”

Ozempic Use Now Linked to ‘Deflated’ Breasts

Taking semaglutide does not simply goal the areas the place you goal to shed kilos — it may possibly additionally result in fats loss in locations the place you’d wish to preserve it. Whereas earlier experiences underscore the drug’s results on facial fats, an article³ within the Worldwide Open Entry Journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons highlights that comparable adjustments in breast and physique morphology may happen.

Jennifer Brown, a 47-year-old hairstylist from Kentucky, is among the many Ozempic customers who’ve skilled these unintended effects. In an interview with the Los Angeles Instances,⁴ Brown shared that she misplaced 40 kilos inside a yr of taking semaglutide, even with out altering her eating regimen and train routine.

Nevertheless, the speedy outcomes additionally created issues for her. “My breasts positively obtained saggier,” she instructed the LA Instances, recounting how her breast implants began to shift after dropping breast fats.

Since breast tissue is usually round 70% fats,⁵ vital weight reduction can certainly lead to decreased breast quantity.⁶ Dr. Ronald F. Rosso, medical director at Peninsula Plastic Surgical procedure in Torrance, California,⁷ additional explains how Ozempic makes breasts saggy. As reported by the New York Put up:⁸

“Within the breast space, fast fats loss can depart the pores and skin envelope empty, inflicting the breasts to look deflated and the nipples dealing with downward. This look is similar to what occurs after sufferers have had extra conventional weight reduction procedures similar to gastric bypass.”

Moreover, the drug has been related to sagging buttocks, typically referred to on social media as “Ozempic butt.” Some girls have additionally reported tenderness round their breast tissue, which consultants counsel could possibly be linked to the hormonal fluctuations brought on by semaglutide.⁹

How Does Ozempic and Wegovy Work?

Semaglutide, the lively ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RAs). It really works by mimicking GLP-1, a hormone in your physique that’s answerable for managing blood sugar ranges and urge for food.¹⁰

Whenever you eat, GLP-1 is launched in your intestines, prompting the pancreas to launch insulin whereas suppressing the secretion of glucagon, one other hormone essential for blood sugar regulation.¹¹ These processes assist in regulating blood sugar ranges, which is why Ozempic was initially developed for Sort 2 diabetes.

Semaglutide additionally slows down the emptying of the abdomen by inhibiting gastric motility,¹² which signifies that meals stays within the abdomen for an extended time period, inflicting emotions of fullness and satiety. The longer meals sat within the abdomen, the better the load loss results turned.¹³

Weight Loss Medicine Result in Extra Bills on Plastic Surgical procedures

Along with the bodily unintended effects, semaglutide can have a big influence in your pocketbook. Its prescription alone prices $1,300 to $1,500, relying on the place you buy it.¹⁴ Fixing its negative effects in your physique by way of beauty procedures prices much more. In accordance with an article by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons:¹⁵

“A brand new pattern is taking form within the places of work of many plastic surgeons. Amidst the acquainted requests for nips and tucks, there’s been an uptick in one thing fairly substantial – sufferers in search of skin-tightening procedures after experiencing large weight reduction.

This is not the results of conventional diets and even bariatric surgical procedure however a wave introduced on by the successes of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs like Ozempic, that are more and more seen within the media and touted by celebrities and on a regular basis people alike.”

Certainly, in each the LA Instances and New York Put up articles, beauty surgeons suggest cosmetic surgery to “tighten up” saggy pores and skin. Different methods surgeons might use embody dermal fillers, fats autografting, collagen stimulators, radiofrequency, microneedling and laser pores and skin tightening.¹⁶

“It’s a dream weight till you spend $25,000 on cosmetic surgery, and also you go each three months to your injector since you’ve obtained to only constantly pump Sculptra and fillers making an attempt to maintain that pores and skin in your cranium,” Brown mentioned.¹⁷ She underwent a sequence of remedies, together with dermal fillers, an arm raise and a breast raise, to counteract the morphological results of Ozempic.

The LA Instances article featured one other case involving a girl who misplaced 115 kilos after utilizing Mounjaro, one other GLP-1RA drug made by the American pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly. The lady reportedly spent $30,000 on a lower-face raise and neck raise, noting that her buddies have accomplished comparable procedures after losing a few pounds on these drugs.¹⁸

Though she asserts the result was “value it,” this pattern raises necessary questions concerning the necessity of losing a few pounds sustainably to forestall adversarial results within the first place, which might generally prolong past mere bodily adjustments.

Different Debilitating Facet Results of Ozempic

The usage of GLP-1RAs has been linked to severe well being issues. A 2021 examine¹⁹ printed within the Journal of Investigative Medication discovered that it will increase the danger of gastroparesis (abdomen paralysis), a dysfunction that slows or stops the motion of meals from the abdomen to the small gut.²⁰

The researchers examined two instances of girls who developed medicine-induced gastroparesis after taking GLP-1RA, manifesting hallmark signs like belly ache, bloating and nausea, which progressively resolved once they stopped taking the drug.

One other examine²¹ printed in JAMA famous that other than gastroparesis, GLP-1RA additionally will increase the danger of biliary illness, pancreatitis and bowel obstruction. Metabolic, dietary, urinary, cardiac and eye problems have additionally been linked to the usage of semaglutide, based on knowledge from EudraVigilance, Europe’s system for monitoring and analyzing adversarial reactions to drugs.²²

GLP-1RAs have been implicated within the improvement of pancreatic carcinoma²³ and acute kidney accidents²⁴ as effectively. Whereas the long-term dangers of semaglutide are nonetheless unknown, Wegovy carries a black field warning, as rodent research have proven it causes thyroid C-cell tumors at doses much like these utilized in people.²⁵ Its prescribing data additionally lists warnings and precautions for the next circumstances:²⁶

Enhance Your GLP-1 Naturally With Akkermansia

As an alternative of counting on GLP-1RAs, a far safer option to enhance your GLP-1 ranges is by colonizing your intestine with Akkermansia muciniphila, a sort of micro organism that naturally secretes a GLP-1-inducing protein. Researchers famous in a examine printed within the journal Nature Microbiology:²⁷

“A. muciniphila will increase thermogenesis and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion in high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced C57BL/6J mice by induction of uncoupling protein 1 in brown adipose tissue and systemic GLP-1 secretion.”

Ideally comprising about 10% of your intestine microbiome, Akkermansia is helpful in your massive gut and performs an necessary position in supporting intestine well being. Nevertheless, many individuals lack this very important microbe, presumably because of having impaired mitochondrial perform and subsequent oxygen leakage within the intestine.

Some of the necessary capabilities of Akkermansia is its capacity to supply mucin, a thick, gel-like substance that types a protecting barrier on the intestine lining. Mucin shields the epithelial cells of the intestinal wall from mechanical harm, dangerous pathogens and chemical irritation brought on by abdomen acids and enzymes.

It additionally nourishes useful intestine micro organism, which in flip helps assist wholesome digestion, promotes the manufacturing of important vitamins and maintains an total stability of intestine flora.

Mucin can assist the immune system as effectively, because it comprises antibodies and antimicrobial peptides that may assist fight infections. It additionally traps potential pathogens and different overseas particles to be expelled from the physique by way of the digestive course of.

Tips on how to Enhance Your Akkermansia Ranges

I like to recommend consuming meals that assist assist Akkermansia, similar to polyphenol-rich fruits like berries. Dietary fiber can also be necessary to nourish your intestine, nevertheless it must be the proper. The best meals on your microbiome is soluble fiber, significantly inulin, which is present in most greens.

Examples of high-inulin veggies embody Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, leeks, asparagus and bananas. Nevertheless, in case your microbiome is considerably dysregulated, introducing excessive quantities of fiber too shortly can worsen gastrointestinal (GI) signs, so progressively rising fiber consumption is essential.

Berberine — A Pure Different to Ozempic

Berberine, a naturally occurring compound in vegetation like goldenseal, barberry, Oregon grape and tree turmeric, has been dubbed as “nature’s Ozempic”²⁸ due to its weight reduction potential. Historically utilized in Ayurvedic and Chinese language drugs, berberine has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and immune-supporting properties.²⁹

One systematic evaluation confirmed that berberine might assist regulate blood sugar ranges and enhance insulin sensitivity.³⁰ That is essential as a result of insulin resistance is intently linked to weight acquire and weight problems.³¹

One other examine³² printed in Frontiers in Mobile and An infection Microbiology discovered that berberine might assist “alleviate the pathological circumstances of metabolic problems, and the mechanism is expounded to the regulation of intestine microbiota.”

Berberine additionally helps activate the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway, which performs a job in controlling how power is produced and utilized by the cells. By activating AMPK, berberine helps normalize lipid, glucose and power imbalances.³³

It’s Wiser to Get to the Root Explanation for Weight Achieve

I strongly imagine that the elusive “miracle remedy” for weight reduction is not going to exist in our lifetime. Counting on medicine to drop extra pounds places you vulnerable to everlasting and debilitating well being points, and the load is more likely to return when you discontinue their use.

The truth is, contributors in a single examine³⁴ regained two-thirds of their prior weight reduction one yr after stopping semaglutide — a phenomenon dubbed as “Ozempic rebound.” Many of the adjustments of their cardiometabolic variables additionally reverted to pretreatment ranges.

For longer-lasting outcomes, I urge you to handle the first issue driving the obese and weight problems epidemics, which is the surplus consumption of linoleic acid (LA). LA is a sort of omega-6 fats present in seed oils like soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, rapeseed (canola), corn and safflower.³⁵

Think about decreasing your LA consumption to beneath 5 grams per day, which is near what our ancestors used to eat earlier than power well being circumstances, together with weight problems, turned widespread.

Keep away from processed meals, quick meals and restaurant meals, as nearly all of them include LA; making ready your meals at house is the best choice. To be taught extra about linoleic acid, learn my article “Linoleic Acid — The Most Destructive Ingredient in Your Diet.”