Taking Ozempic? Avoid Eating This!
Skipping certain foods can help patients manage nausea and other side effects of the popular drugs, doctors say. Weight loss is a famous side effect of Ozempic, the Type 2 diabetes drug, but patients often find they must avoid certain foods on the medication.
It’s a similar story with Wegovy, the form of Ozempic approved for weight loss. Both contain semaglutide, a synthetic version of a hormone known as GLP-1, which the body releases into the intestine when people eat food, TODAY.com previously reported. The hormone tells the brain you’ve had a meal, leading to reduced appetite and hunger. But it also slows down stomach emptying, which can lead to uncomfortable symptoms.
“Food remains in the stomach for a longer period of time. This is one mechanism that contributes to weight loss with this class of medications — people using them have a prolonged sense of satiety and greater portion control,” Dr. Christopher McGowan, an obesity medicine physician and founder of True You Weight Loss in Cary, North Carolina, tells TODAY.com.
Excerpted from Today
