I’ve been a naturopathic doctor for a couple of decades. Back in 1998, I began a journey through a 4-year medical college to become certified as a doctor of naturopathy. This is a degree that includes education on physiology, anatomy, pathology, learning how to interpret labs and do physical exams. We also learned extensively about herbal medicine, homeopathic medicine, gentle manipulation of the spine (chiropractic adjustments) and many other natural solutions. Since naturopathic doctors also exist in a world where many of our patients had been prescribed drugs, we had to also learn about these drugs and their effects (pharmacology).
I cannot say that after all that I have seen over the past 20 or so years has convinced me in any way that the majority of these allopathic interventions solve issues at a core level - or in fact, do not make the problem worse. I think of cholesterol-lowering medications that can deplete one’s stores of CoQ10. CoQ10 is one of the most important substances to feed the mitochondria of the heart. I also think of blood pressure lowering medications that may result in lowering one’s mineral levels, while minerals are important in overall blood pressure regulation (like magnesium and potassium).
This concept really resonates when considering the widespread use of Ozempic and other semaglutides for weight loss. You can really feel that people perceive they have nowhere else to turn and that a drug will give them the almost desperate relief they are seeking. However, as we can see by today’s discussion the result of the allopathic “cure” might be worse that the condition itself. Knowledge about nutrition is crucial, but information about healthy human nutrition is either made very confusing to the consumer or is pushed onto people with outright misinformation. A good example would be the new “upside-down” food pyramid which encourages people to eat more protein (code word for more beef and chicken) and whole milk to “improve health”. I can assure you that a country that has 74% of its population in the overweight category does not need encouragement to have more fat. If people were taught the correct information, it would be possible for anyone to get to a healthy weight much more easily and also have a healthy body without the use of these drugs. We will get to that a little later. For now, let’s take a look at the ways that Ozempic works and some of the concerning side effects.
How Ozempic works
Ozempic is a GLP-1 agonist. This means that it works to increase the GLP-1 hormone in the body as a way to suppress hunger. This hormone is naturally released in the body after eating. It binds and activates the GLP-1 receptors several places throughout the body. In the pancreas, GLP-1 stimulates the release of insulin from the pancreas only when blood sugar levels are high as a way of telling you you have had enough to eat and it is time to stop. In the liver, this hormone inhibits the secretion of glucacon, a hormone that triggers the liver to released stored sugar into the bloodstream.
In the stomach, GLP-1 will slow gastric emptying. This is the rate at which food moves out of the stomach. As a result, you will feel full and satiated and tend to eat less. However, there could be drawbacks to too much GLP-1 and slowing the movement of the stomach for too long. There are always risks when you introduce artificial levels of hormones in the body. GLP-1 affects areas of the brain that control appetite and satiety leading to reduced hunger and feelings of fullness. If you could bottle up your GLP-1 agonists (those that would increase this in the body), sounds like it would be a great plan right? You will be able to suppress your hunger and lose weight. What could go wrong?
I believe it is always important to use caution when taking any exogenous hormone or a drug that might affect hormones. Relying on the natural production of your own hormones may be best plan. Interestingly, our own natural GLP-1 has a very short half life (1-2 minutes). Ozempic, by comparison, is engineered with structural modifications that make it resistant to degradation and will remain active in the body for up to 7 days. Does this make sense when we know that the body has a natural tendency to release hormones in rhythmic way based on feedback loops within the body? We don’t really know what will come as a result of overriding these natural modulations of hormonal levels. All of this must have inherent risk. Let’s look at some of the documented side effects from semaglutide use (these are drugs like Ozempic).
Loss of excessive muscle mass along with fat loss
Some of the reported effects of using Ozempic include a disproportionate loss of muscle mass, which causes the person to both look and feel frail. It has been reported that it can cause significant weight loss, which could seem exciting. However, about 20-40% of that weight is lean muscle mass rather than just fat. This can result in a condition called sarcopenia (muscle loss). Restoring this muscle is difficult due to sustained appetite suppression and metabolic changes. This means the person might keep the weight off, but their entire level of health may be changed permanently. Lean muscle mass is important for overall health and it actually helps us to better regulate and utilize sugar in the body.
Another clinical trial showed that when 140 participants were tracked over 68 weeks and found that while they have lost 23 pounds of fat, they lost 15 pounds of lean muscle mass. That is about 40% of the total weight loss coming from the tissue the body actually needs to survive and thrive.
Increased risk of thyroid cancer
A study in the Journal, Diabetes Care, found an increased risk of all thyroid cancers associated with these types of drugs (GLP-1 receptor agonist use). This study found an increased risk of all thyroid cancers and specifically medullary thyroid cancers after 1-3 years of GLP-1 use. The study tracked over 2,500 cancer cases. (1)
Risk of blindness
A 2024 study from the journal, Jama Opthamology, found an association between Ozempic and a type of optic neuropathy in diabetic and obese patients. This condition can lead to sudden vision loss. This condition is marked by loss of blood flow to the optic nerve, which is the neural pathway connecting your eyes to your brain. Once flow is disrupted, blindness can suddenly occur. (2)
Mental health effects
A study has shown that users developed a 195% increased risk in developing major depression, a 98% increased risk of any psychiatric disorders, a 106% greater risk of suicidal behavior, 108% elevated risk for anxiety compared to a control group not taking these medications. How could this be possible? There are significant effects on the brain from taking the GLP-1 agonists. Research shows that affecting the GLP-1 receptors (which is what the drug does) will increase dopamine transporter expression. This leads to significant decreases in dopamine levels in specific brain regions. That is very concerning! The drugs may suppress appetite but because of their effects on the brain they might also depress your motivation and feelings of enjoyment in life or even your ability to regular your current mood and mental state. At the very least, physicians should take into account the current mental health state of anyone considering taking this class of drugs. (3)
Do people need Ozempic to lose weight?
I think it is truly unfortunate to for the medical profession to present drugs as a means to lose and keep off weight. I understand the desperation that many people may be feeling. If insurance pays for these drugs, then it is even more of a temptation. I believe much of the problem that people are having stems from a fundamental misunderstanding about what they should be eating. Why don’t people understand the most basic ideas about what to eat?
I believe it is a combination of:
US government recommendations including the US
Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Health and Human Services. Any recommendation can make or break factions of the food industry. For example, there was heavy objection back in 2004 from the companies that sell fish products when the government recommended people reduce their intake of fish due to mercury contamination in fish. Their lobby pressure was so great that the government had to change their recommendations to include the fish despite the mercury content.The above recommendations by USDA and US HHS affect nutritional education in the schools and mandatory additions to school lunches. As unbelievable as it is, a lunch served in a public US school still requires each and every student must have “fluid milk” in their lunch. It is estimated that 36% of the US population is lactose intolerant, yet the recommendation still stands. 50-80% of Latino Americans are lactose intolerant and 75-80% of African Americans are as well. This means children will have stomach upset, constipation and much more. The dairy industry heavily lobbies the US government and as a result, school lunches account for about 8% of all US milk sales today. This is the power of the food industry lobbies on nutritional education, standards and recommendations.
The food industry, particularly the part of the industry that makes snacks, cookies, potato chips, sugary drinks etc are pushing products that have the most sugar, salt and fat. These ingredients stimulate dopamine and create hyper-palatable products that are difficult to eat in reasonable proportions.
The meat and dairy industry heavily lobbies the US government so that their foods will be declared healthy and crucial. These foods carry a high amount of fat, toxins and often too much protein to be healthy for most people. High protein diets, particularly when they are rich in beef, chicken, cheese, eggs, etc put great stress on the liver and the kidneys. But the truth about impacts on health do not matter to these industries. They truly scored this past year when they convinced HHS to increase their protein recommendations in the new, inverted “food pyramid.”
Health “gurus” who often appear to encourage healthy ways of eating but are financially backed by the olive oil industry, coconut oil industry, nut industry, avocado industry and others. These are just examples but what all these foods have in common is they are high in fat. Even healthy fats do not make people thin. There is a small amount of fat that, when combined with a lower sugar, whole unprocessed foods diet can be helpful. But that isn’t what happens most of the time. People often feel they can eat these foods freely and that will cause them to be healthy. Foods high in fat, even healthy ones, can add up quickly in terms of total calories.
Nutritional Tips for Weight Loss
Here are some of the principles that will promote weight loss that can be long-lasting and promote real health.
Eat whole, unprocessed foods and mostly plants.
You will always get enough protein if you eat an adequate amount of calories.
Track your daily food intake with food tracking apps like myfitnesspal. Check out myfitnesspal.com to download as desktop or app
Reduce your calorie density. Studies show that we eat the same amount of food by weight (about 3-4 pounds) each day. The one way to reduce total caloric intake is to eat foods that have more water and fiber. An example would be to consume more non-starchy vegetables, like zucchini and yellow squash along with sweet potatoes and potatoes. These types of foods fill us up and are satiating. Compare that with something like olive oil, which is very calorie dense but does not fill us up or provide us with lasting satiety.
Ariel Policano is a naturopathic physician. This substack is dedicated to empowering information in the field of nature cure, natural medicine and breakthroughs in the field of frequency medicine. The most natural state of our body is the state of wellness and vitality. Our body is made to self-heal. Let’s learn how!
1 “GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and the Risk of Thyroid Cancer” Diabetes Care, Volume 36, Issue 2
2 “Risk of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy in patients prescribed semaglutide.”, JAMA Opthamology, Jimena Hathaway, July 2024
3 “The risk of depression, anxiety and suicidal behavior in patients with obesity on glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonist therapy” - Scientific reports, October 18 2024
