As spring begins, many people are eager to lose weight and want to find a way to lose weight quickly. Recently, a drug known as the "miracle drug for weight loss" has become popular on social platforms, and this drug was originally suitable for blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes, not for weight loss.
The reporter learned that in addition to the "miracle drug for weight loss", there are a variety of weight loss products such as fat loss meal replacements, oil draining pills, bulletproof ketogenic drinks, etc., and some businesses even claim to be able to "quickly drop the scale", "easily enjoy weight loss" and "slim the whole body".
Can drugs to control diabetes be used to lose weight? Are fat reduction meal replacements effective? How to lose weight scientifically and healthily? This reporter interviewed this.
The "miracle drug for weight loss" regained weight after the injections were stopped
Semaglutide is a star product in the Chinese diabetes drug market.
In October 2022, a well-known foreign person posted that through regular fasting and use of semaglutide, he lost 9 kg in a month, which made this drug quickly become popular, and it was even considered a "miracle drug for weight loss", and a large number of weight loss people flocked to it.
Xia Yu (pseudonym) from Gansu is a type 2 diabetic who weighs 70 kilograms. In 2023, when she went to the hospital for diabetes, she learned from her doctor that semaglutide injection could help control blood sugar and lose weight. Considering that he is diabetic caused by obesity, Xia Yu began to try semaglutide injections in order to lose weight.
1 injection is 480 yuan, 1 shot per week, 1 can be shot for 1 month...... In this way, Xia Yu insisted on the injection for half a year, and his weight decreased from 70 kg to 60 kg. "The injection doesn't hurt, but it's a bit expensive. After losing 10 kilograms, Xia Yu stopped injecting. However, what she didn't expect was that after stopping the injection, her weight rebounded to 70 kilograms.
Compared with Xia Yu's hypoglycemia after semaglutide injection, Bi Jing (pseudonym), who weighs 57 kilograms, seems to have much more serious "side effects" after the injection. "Nausea, nausea, decreased appetite, lack of energy, irritability, soreness and weakness, poor brain and memory......" Bi Jing, who had received two injections and lost only 1 kilogram of weight, felt that these reactions had seriously affected her normal life, and she did not dare to continue the injection.
Usually, Xia Yu is more restrained in terms of diet, "Because I want to control my blood sugar and weight, I can't eat and drink nonsense, I usually eat homemade sugar-free yogurt with oats at noon, and I don't eat at night." After "regaining weight", Xia Yu attributed the reason for the weight regain to the discontinuation of the drug, "Semaglutide has a weight loss effect, but it can't be stopped if it is beaten, and it will rebound if it is stopped."
Recently, when Xia Yu went to the hospital for a physical examination, her idea was confirmed by the doctor. "I asked the doctor if there was any medicine that could lose weight, and the doctor also introduced semaglutide, and at the same time said that this medicine is very expensive, it can't be stopped, and it will rebound. ”
You can buy medicines without a medical certificate or prescription
"At present, semaglutide, which has been approved for marketing by the mainland drug regulatory department, has strict indications and is suitable for blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes, not for weight loss. Lin Hongwei, director of the Obesity and Metabolic Disease Center of the Plastic Surgery Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, told reporters.
According to Lin Hongwei, semaglutide can increase insulin sensitivity, stimulate insulin secretion, promote lipolysis and thus reduce blood sugar. At the same time, it can increase satiety, delay gastric emptying, and reduce appetite and food intake by acting on the hypothalamic appetite center. "This is also the reason why semaglutide is mistaken for a 'miracle drug for weight loss', but in fact, it is a hypoglycemic drug. ”
Lin Hongwei said that as a prescription drug, before using semaglutide, doctors will conduct a detailed assessment and examination of patients. For example, blood biochemistry can be checked to see if the patient has hyperlipidemia, thyroid gland can be checked for hyperthyroidism and fourth-grade thyroid nodules, and abdominal CT can be done to see if there is pancreatitis.
"Blind use of semaglutide, or even increasing the dose on its own, is risky and can cause adverse effects. According to Lin Hongwei, common side effects of the drug include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. In addition, semaglutide is not recommended for thyroid patients and patients with pancreatitis because it may increase the risk of pancreatitis and promote the progression of papillary thyroid cancer.
During the interview, some people revealed that they purchased semaglutide through offline pharmacies or Internet pharmacies. The reporter searched on an e-commerce platform and found that many pharmacies were selling semaglutide. The customer service staff of a store with sales of "20,000+" said that a prescription was required to buy the drug. When the reporter tried to buy, he found that he only needed to click "Prescribe to buy", and the system would pop up the option to confirm the information of the drug and confirm the diagnosis of "type 2 diabetes".
"In the process of using semaglutide, many people will develop drug resistance, and the dose needs to be increased to improve the effectiveness of use. Once the drug is stopped, blood sugar and weight will regain, and some people may even gain weight. Lin Hongwei reminded that in order to use this drug safely and correctly, you must go to the endocrinology or metabolism department of a regular hospital and use the drug under the guidance of a specialist.
There are no shortcuts to weight loss
In the view of Lin Hongwei, who has been engaged in bariatric surgery for a long time, weight loss is a persistent thing, there is no shortcut, and the most effective way is to keep your mouth shut and open your legs.
Taking meal replacement as an example, Lin Hongwei said that some zero-calorie meal replacement biscuits have no protein, no fat, and no sugar, just some fibrous tissue that the human body cannot absorb, plus some flavors, pigments and leavening agents.
There are also unscrupulous businesses that mix pharmaceutical ingredients banned in some countries into so-called diet health foods, which can damage people's nervous system, kidney function and liver function.
"All means of weight loss must abide by the law of conservation of energy, only if you eat less and consume more energy, you will lose weight, but the process is arduous and requires perseverance and endurance. Lin Hongwei said that in addition, for morbid obese groups, high-load aerobic and resistance exercise is unrealistic, their cardiopulmonary function is often unbearable, easy to cause serious respiratory and heart system diseases, it is recommended that this part of the population before exercise to lose weight, first go to the hospital for systematic evaluation.
In recent years, some obese patients have undergone metabolic surgery, which involves cutting the stomach, to slim down. Lin Hongwei reminded that surgery is risky, and the choice needs to be cautious, and it is necessary to weigh the pros and cons before doing surgery, and must choose surgery when the benefits of surgery far outweigh the risks, sequelae and complications of surgery, and at the same time, it is recommended to choose bariatric and metabolic surgery in a regular hospital.
Source: Workers' Daily