As Wegovy Prescriptions Increase, Research Still Links Obesity with an Excess of Calories...

​Picture this:  A woman at a cocktail table calls her pharmacy to check on her Wegovy prescription. She asks the pharmacist to 'wait one second' while she orders the 'happy-hour special.' Ultimately, does Wegovy help patients lose weight?  

I recently read an article that blamed obesity on genes. Only 40% of genes play a role in a person’s weight.  What, then, accounts for the remaining 60%? According to the CDC, the rate of genetic change in human populations occurs too slowly to be responsible for the obesity epidemic. So, what has changed if genes have remained constant over the past 40 years? Research points to our environment. We are eating more and moving less.  

​Pharmaceutical companies are always looking for the next drug to manufacture. The FDA approved Wegovy for chronic weight management in 2021. Since then, patients have been complaining that they cannot lose weight because of a drug shortage. But can people lose weight without Wegovy? It’s popular among patients and doctors. The doctor prescribes the drug to the patient; the insurance rejects the claim; the patient appeals the case and loses.  Most people regain their weight within a year of stopping Wegovy.  Do doctors inform patients of this? Or do they tell their patients that the drug leads to a 15% reduction in body weight?  

When patients stop taking it, they start to feel hungrier.  What are the psychological implications of this rebound effect? How might the patients think about themselves when Wegovy can no longer curb their appetite? Obesity is a sensitive subject.  But just because more people are overweight, does that change the definition of healthy?  

So, what is the alternative to Wegovy? Does the actual food choice make a difference? According to the Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome, the Mediterranean diet positively affects blood pressure, LDL-C, HDL-C, glucose, insulin, and HbA1C. A salmon and salad dinner would be a good choice, but not a Big Mac and fries. What if you didn’t worry about what or how much you ate and just hit the gym? A study published in the Journal of Diabetic Spectrum concluded that exercise alone minimizes weight loss.  But if you walk about 180 minutes a day, you could prevent weight gain. So, training is still necessary to maintain weight, but it does not help lose weight. If you think skipping dinner or breakfast will help you lose weight, think again.  According to the New England Journal of Medicine, time-restriction eating is not helpful in weight loss.

~ Niyati