How a 'skinny shot' helped kids stop being obese
According to studies, over half of the children who received the "skinny jab" dropped enough weight to no longer be classified as clinically obese.
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Ozempic was initially developed and approved to treat Type 2 diabetes. (AFP)
In a new study, half of the children that were given a 'skinny shot' lost enough weight to no longer be categorized as obese.
The study, conducted by Dr. Aaron Kelly, co-director of the Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine at the University of Minnesota, included 201 clinically obese adolescents.
Along with receiving matched healthy lifestyle counseling, one group of 134 children aged 12 to 18 received one dosage of 2.4mg of semaglutide per week for 68 weeks, whereas 67 children received a placebo.
Semaglutide, commonly known as Ozempic, is a medicine that is generally used to treat type 2 diabetes by decreasing appetite, although it can also be used for long-term weight control.
The study's findings, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Dublin, revealed that while 12% of adolescents taking the placebo were able to lose enough weight to no longer be classified as clinically obese, nearly 45% of those given semaglutide were able to drop below the clinical definition of obesity.
By the end of the research, over three-quarters (74%) of children given semaglutide had improved in at least one BMI category, compared to just under a fifth (19%) of children given a placebo.
The analysis stated that giving semaglutide once a week produced "historically unprecedented" outcomes and "clinically meaningful improvements."
“These results underscore the high degree of clinical effectiveness of semaglutide in adolescents with obesity,” the study concluded.
“In a practical sense, we see that semaglutide reduced weight to a level below what is defined as clinical obesity in nearly 50% of the teens in our trial, which is historically unprecedented with treatments other than bariatric surgery.”
Kelly explained at a news conference that the medicine might be transformative for children who are obese, but that it was not a quick cure and should be taken in conjunction with lifestyle therapy and other anti-obesity approaches.
“A question I get asked a lot is: ‘Is this going to solve the obesity problem; should we give this to everybody?’ It’s not going to solve the obesity problem but it’s an important piece to the puzzle in helping to solve it, especially for those who already have obesity.
“[Semaglutide] is transformative for many who are able to access this treatment. Many do very well with this medication, and it can be life-changing for them.”
Due to its ability to help people lose weight, the diabetes medicine Ozempic has become a social media sensation. However, with its extreme popularity, there are now shortages around the world, and doctors have issued a warning about its potential detrimental effects.
On the social media platform TikTok, where users frequently update followers about their weight loss, videos with the hashtag #Ozempic have almost gathered 600 million views.
