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Fast and effective weight loss! Be sure to consult your doctor before use!

Although Ozempic was originally intended to treat diabetes, it has gained another use in recent years. Heralded as a highly effective weight loss drug, it provides millions of obese people with an alternative way to lose weight.

Ozempic is an injectable drug that is administered once a week. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) approved a lower dose of the drug for diabetes in 2017, as well as a higher dose of the drug for obesity in 2021 under the brand name Wegovy. As GLP-1 agonists, their active ingredient is semaglutide, which mimics a natural hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).

“We produce these hormones when we eat,” says Samir Malkani, an endocrinologist at UMass Chan School of Medicine.

Secreted in the gut, GLP-1 stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin, lowering blood sugar levels in the body. That’s why GLP-1 agonists are effective in treating diabetes. But there are also receptors for the GLP-1 hormone in the brain, heart, and other parts of the body, which means that GLP-1 and its artificial counterpart also trick the brain into feeling full.

“There are feeding centers in the brain that make us feel hungry and want to eat,” says Malkani. “So that center in the brain is what GLP-1 receptor drugs like Ozempic connect to to suppress that craving.