From curbing your craving for alcohol to boosting fertility, all the surprising ... trends now
Semaglutide is well-known for its weight loss benefits.
The game-changing injections, sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, are proven to help people lose up to 2st.
But the slimming jabs also have some surprising benefits, as explained by MailOnline...
Ozempic and Wegovy hailed by the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk are proven to help people lose up to 2st
It's not just food Ozempic puts you off, it may also drastically reduce your desire to drink alcohol.
Attention has turned to the possibility that semaglutide might reduce drug cravings and alcohol consumption.
Ozempic works by mimicking GLP-1 – a naturally occurring hormone which tells the brain it is full. Some experts think this internal process, which suppresses the desire to eat, may also dampen other cravings.
Studies on rodents have backed the theory.
A team of researchers attached to the US National Institutes of Health published a study in 2023 that found semaglutide discouraged rodents from drinking alcohol.
Attention has turned to the possibility that semaglutide — the powerful chemical in both Ozempic and Wegovy — may have a potential impact on addictive behaviors such as reducing drug craving and alcohol consumption
There has also been some evidence in humans that semaglutide specifically slashes the symptoms of alcohol use disorder.
Published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, a case series last year outlined the fascinating outcomes of six patients who received semaglutide during treatment for weight loss.
But the researchers at University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine and Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences also found they reduced their alcohol intake.
A follow up showed the six patients indicated 'low risk' drinking, which indicates they no-longer had a problem with their drinking.
However, the study authors stressed that more research is needed.
Reduces risk of heart attack and strokeThe skinny jab could also cut your risk of a heart attack, according to researchers.
Having a healthy weight can reduce your risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases like strokes and vascular dementia.
That's because excess weight can lead to fatty material building up in your arteries, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) warns.
If an artery that carries blood to the heart gets damaged and clogged it could lead to a heart attack. If this happens to arteries that carries blood to the brain, it can cause a stroke, according to BHF.
So, it is no surprise that injections of semaglutide that help you lose weight could also reduce your risk of cardiovascular problems.
Ozempic and its sister drug Wegovy work by triggering the body to bind to a receptor called the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a protein that triggers the release of hormones in the brain which keep the stomach full and tell the body to stop eating and avoid cravings
One study suggested getting 2.4mg injections of semaglutide like Wegovy a week could reduce the risk of 'major adverse cardiovascular events' by 20 per cent.
That's according to the company behind the drug.
The 2023 study by Novo Nordisk, which makes Wegovy, enrolled 17,604 adults over 45 who were overweight or obese with cardiovascular disease and no history of diabetes.
Researchers split participants into two
