March 15, 2024 – Summer time is quick approaching, and the pressures of “bikini season” have some younger adults trying to GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic to shed weight. And whereas knowledge exhibits that weight problems is skyrocketing amongst U.S. teenagers and younger adults, Ozempic and different GLP-1 drugs are very not often the primary or greatest choice to drop a few pounds – particularly for individuals who don’t have weight problems or associated circumstances, specialists say.
Earlier than leaping to those drugs, teenagers ought to make certain they’re consuming nutritious meals and getting sufficient train. However for teenagers who’re obese (BMI over 25) or overweight (BMI 30 or extra),Sue Decotiis, MD, a triple board-certified medical weight reduction physician who runs a personal follow in New York Metropolis, suggests they see their physician for a screening of their baseline metabolic charge and insulin ranges.
“Teenagers often have a quick metabolism, so by seeing their metabolism and insulin ranges, it could give me an concept whether or not they really want the drug,” she stated.
As temperatures rise on the highway to summer time, Ozempic and different GLP-1 drugs might be alluring as physique comparisons enhance, in line with Wendy Sterling, a registered dietitian and co-author of Elevating Physique Optimistic Teenagers: A Dad or mum’s Information to Food regimen-Free Residing, Train, and Physique Picture. Younger individuals ought to be hyper conscious of managing such ideas, she stated.
It is a notably essential message for these 18 to 24 years of age, whose brains are nonetheless rising and creating, stated Lexy Penney, a registered dietitian and proprietor of Lexy Penney Diet & Wellness, the place she makes a speciality of areas surrounding younger adults and physique picture.
“If younger individuals get the message ‘your physique is incorrect and with a view to repair it, right here’s a capsule,’ it could set off a cascade of turning to fast fixes, low vanity, and unfavorable physique picture that may take years to undo,” she stated.
One other essential notice: Younger adults ought to be particularly conscious of the dangers of taking GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic, when you find yourself not a certified candidate, in line with Michael Hakimi, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon and proprietor of Hakimi Plastic Surgical procedure in Beverly Hills.
Ozempic is FDA-approved for treating diabetes, whereas its sister drug, Wegovy, is accepted for weight problems in anybody 12 and over. Different choices embody Mounjaro and Zepbound.
If you’re trying to shed 5 or 10 kilos, or you’re hoping to drop a few pounds in a particular space of your physique, this isn’t a medicine for you, Hakimi stated. He sees such inquiries loads with youthful sufferers, who’ve a decrease BMI and want to drop a few pounds in simply a part of the physique (within the stomach space, for instance).
“If you happen to’re not obese, it is advisable know that these drugs trigger you to drop a few pounds all over the place,” Hakimi stated. “These drugs may even make you look older to some extent in the event that they’re abused or misused by sufferers that may’t afford to lose extra weight of their face or of their buttocks, for instance.”
Hakimi stated medical doctors have an obligation to coach sufferers with decrease BMIs about potential outcomes of those drugs, which embody extreme unwanted side effects within the intestine, like diarrhea, extreme constipation, and even pancreatitis. There’s additionally the associated fee. The medication can price $1,000 a month, and plenty of insurers will not cowl them. Plus, research have proven that many individuals regain weight in the event that they cease taking the drugs.
If you’re weighing the choice of taking a GLP-1 remedy, it is very important ask your self what’s driving your potential determination. Take a look at your social media use and take account of who you’re following, prompt Sterling. Look at how these accounts make you are feeling and whether or not you are feeling impressed vs. feeling like it is advisable change one thing about your self.
“A lot of what we see on-line is unrealistic,” she stated. “We’re all inundated with weight loss plan tradition, and most are determined for fast methods to drop a few pounds.” She suggests attempting a “weight impartial” method, akin to stress administration, correct sleep, and listening to starvation and fullness cues to achieve your distinctive physique objectives.
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