March 15, 2024 – Summer season is quick approaching, and the pressures of “bikini season” have some younger adults trying to GLP-1 medications like Ozempic to shed weight. And whereas information reveals that weight problems is skyrocketing amongst U.S. teenagers and younger adults, Ozempic and different GLP-1 medicines are very not often the primary or finest choice to shed extra pounds – particularly for individuals who don’t have weight problems or associated circumstances, specialists say.
Earlier than leaping to those medicines, teenagers ought to make sure that they’re consuming nutritious meals and getting sufficient train. However for teenagers who’re obese (BMI over 25) or overweight (BMI 30 or more),Sue Decotiis, MD, a triple board-certified medical weight reduction physician who runs a personal apply in New York Metropolis, suggests they see their physician for a screening of their baseline metabolic rate and insulin levels.
“Teenagers normally have a quick metabolism, so by seeing their metabolism and insulin ranges, it will give me an concept whether or not they really want the drug,” she stated.
As temperatures rise on the street to summer season, Ozempic and different GLP-1 medicines will be alluring as physique comparisons enhance, in accordance with Wendy Sterling, a registered dietitian and co-author of Raising Body Positive Teens: A Parent’s Guide to Diet-Free Living, Exercise, and Body Image. Younger individuals ought to be hyper conscious of managing such ideas, she stated.
This can be a notably essential message for these 18 to 24 years of age, whose brains are nonetheless rising and growing, stated Lexy Penney, a registered dietitian and proprietor of Lexy Penney Nutrition & Wellness, the place she makes a speciality of areas surrounding younger adults and physique picture.
“If younger individuals get the message ‘your physique is unsuitable and in an effort to repair it, right here’s a capsule,’ it might set off a cascade of turning to fast fixes, low self-esteem, and unfavourable physique picture that may take years to undo,” she stated.
One other vital notice: Younger adults ought to be particularly conscious of the dangers of taking GLP-1 medicines, like Ozempic, if you find yourself not a professional candidate, in accordance with Michael Hakimi, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon and proprietor of Hakimi Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills.
Ozempic is FDA-approved for treating diabetes, whereas its sister drug, Wegovy, is accredited for weight problems in anybody 12 and over. Different choices embody Mounjaro and Zepbound.
In case you are trying to shed 5 or 10 kilos, or you might be hoping to shed extra pounds in a selected space of your physique, this isn’t a drugs for you, Hakimi stated. He sees such inquiries loads with youthful sufferers, who’ve a decrease BMI and want to shed extra pounds in simply a part of the physique (within the stomach space, for instance).
“In case you’re not obese, it’s essential know that these medicines trigger you to shed extra pounds in every single place,” Hakimi stated. “These medicines 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 teach sufferers with decrease BMIs about potential outcomes of those medicines, which embody extreme unwanted side effects within the intestine, like diarrhea, extreme constipation, and even pancreatitis. There’s additionally the associated fee. The medicine can value $1,000 a month, and lots of insurers will not cowl them. Plus, research have proven that many individuals regain weight in the event that they cease taking the medicines.
In case you are 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 might be following, advised Sterling. Look at how these accounts make you are feeling and whether or not you are feeling impressed vs. feeling like it’s essential change one thing about your self.
“A lot of what we see on-line is unrealistic,” she stated. “We’re all inundated with eating regimen tradition, and most are determined for fast methods to shed extra pounds.” She suggests attempting a “weight impartial” strategy, akin to stress management, correct sleep, and listening to hunger and fullness cues to achieve your distinctive physique targets.
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