Ozempic Linked to Elevated Threat of Blindness

Ozempic and Wegovy, which comprise the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) semaglutide, proceed to be blockbuster medicine for Danish pharmaceutical large Novo Nordisk. A Could 2024 report from Forbes famous that the corporate’s general gross sales doubled in comparison with the earlier yr, accumulating a whopping $1.35 billion.¹

Whereas these choices could appear handy, the fixation on weight reduction “magic bullets” could also be doing extra hurt than good. Printed analysis² has proven that semaglutide can enhance your danger of great gastrointestinal hostile occasions. One current examine suggests these medicine can put your imaginative and prescient in danger, too.

Ozempic Could Enhance Your Threat of Blindness

In a retrospective examine³ revealed by JAMA Ophthalmology on July 3, 2024, researchers recommend there’s an affiliation between semaglutide consumption and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) amongst Kind 2 diabetics and/or overweight and obese members.

For context, NAION is a situation marked by lack of blood movement to the optic nerve, which is the neural pathway connecting your eyes to your mind. As soon as blood movement is disrupted, blindness (with out ache) can all of the sudden happen. In accordance with Brightman and Ladies’s Hospital, NAION causes “vital lack of imaginative and prescient in a single eye instantly waking up within the morning,” and that the loss stays secure as soon as it happens.⁴

Within the JAMA Ophthalmology examine, the authors chosen papers revealed from December 1, 2017, to November 30, 2023 with a complete of 16,827 members. From this inhabitants, 710 had been recognized with Kind 2 diabetes, and 194 of them had been prescribed semaglutide. Furthermore, 979 had been obese or overweight, and from this quantity, 361 had been prescribed semaglutide.⁵

After accounting for covarying components similar to gender, age, systemic hypertension and hyperlipidemia, researchers decided the cumulative frequency of NAION from the inhabitants. Outcomes confirmed that within the Kind 2 diabetic subset, 17 NAION occasions occurred. Within the obese/overweight subset, 20 NAION occasions had been recorded.⁶

Utilizing a mannequin to calculate the danger of creating NAION, the evaluation confirmed startling outcomes. Semaglutide can considerably enhance your danger of NAION in comparison with different standard drugs for diabetes and weight problems. In accordance with the researchers, utilizing this drug will make you 4.28 occasions extra prone to develop NAION should you’re diabetic, and seven.64 occasions extra possible should you’re obese/overweight.⁷

Word, nonetheless, that the examine was observational. “Future examine is required to evaluate causality,” the researchers mentioned, as they did not go into the specifics of how semaglutide can result in NAION. Nevertheless, the examine nonetheless has deserves — all NAION circumstances prescribed with semaglutide had been confirmed by skilled neuro-ophthalmologists. To their data, this examine is the primary to have a look at the hyperlink between semaglutide and NAION.⁸

A Nearer Look Into the Hyperlink Between Semaglutide and Retinopathy

Whereas the JAMA Ophthalmology examine was the primary to research the hyperlink between semaglutide and NAION, it isn’t the primary occasion different researchers found a hyperlink between semaglutide and eye injury, particularly within the context of diabetic neuropathy.

For instance, a 2023 examine⁹ revealed in Diabetologia famous that through the trial part of semaglutide (again in 2016), the drug was noticed to extend the danger of retinopathy, particularly once you’re already diabetic. In one other examine,¹⁰ semaglutide was linked to considerably larger charges of retinopathy problems, similar to blindness and vitreous hemorrhage.

What are the components contributing to this complication? In accordance with a examine revealed within the World Journal of Diabetes, uncontrolled Kind 2 diabetes could also be a contributing issue when semaglutide is taken. Specifics embrace longer diabetes period, larger preliminary HbA1c within the blood and better insulin-treatment fee when the trials started.¹¹ Briefly, should you’re already chronically diabetic, taking Ozempic can considerably enhance your danger for retinopathy.

Apparently, the examine highlights the essential position of intestine well being with managing diabetes, and the way a wholesome intestine might assist decrease the danger of diabetic retinopathy:¹²

“Intestine dysbiosis, i.e., the power disequilibrium inside the many various microbial colonies, appears related to a number of inflammatory/metabolic illnesses and central nervous system (CNS) problems, together with retinopathy as an expression of the rising idea of the so-called ‘microbiota-retina axis.’

Certainly, as longstanding diabetes is related not solely with retinopathy but additionally with vital intestinal dysbiosis, related modifications within the bacterial inhabitants may set off the onset of retinopathy through their affect on the lipid content material of each retinal and CNS tissues …”

Inhibiting Your GLP-1 Receptor Could Have Different Aspect Results

Taking GLP-1RAs might be disastrous to your well being. A 2021 examine¹³ revealed within the Journal of Investigative Drugs famous that that these medicine can enhance your danger of gastroparesis (abdomen paralysis), a situation that slows or stops the motion of meals out of your abdomen to the small gut.

The examine offered two sufferers. The primary is a 52-year-old girl with well-controlled diabetes. She visited the clinic of the researchers, hoping to unravel her post-meal epigastric ache, which was marked by fullness, bloating and nausea. Upon tracing her medical historical past, they found that she had been taking semaglutide injections for a month earlier than her signs appeared.¹⁴

After testing, it was found that semaglutide induced delayed gastric emptying. Consequently, the drug was stopped for six weeks, and one other spherical of exams confirmed that gastric emptying improved.¹⁵

The second affected person, a 57-year-old feminine, had an identical case. She had Kind 2 diabetes for 16 years and had been taking weekly dulaglutide (one other GLP-1RA) injections for 15 months. Assessments revealed that the drug induced delayed gastric emptying, and stopping the injections normalized gastric motion.¹⁶

One other examine,¹⁷ revealed in JAMA, famous that along with gastroparesis, GLP-1RAs also can enhance the danger of biliary illness, pancreatitis and bowel obstruction. EudraVigilance, the European Drugs Company’s system for monitoring hostile reactions in medicine, additionally famous metabolic, dietary, urinary, cardiac and eye problems related to semaglutide.¹⁸

Different revealed research have linked GLP-1RAs within the improvement of pancreatic carcinoma¹⁹ and acute kidney accidents.²⁰ Rodent research have additionally proven Wegovy to trigger thyroid C-cell tumors at doses much like these utilized in people and is a contraindication for sufferers with a historical past of medullary thyroid carcinoma.²¹ Furthermore, Wegovy’s product label warns customers of the next hostile reactions:²²

Enhance Your GLP-1 Receptor As a substitute Via Polyphenol-Wealthy Meals

Going again into the position of your intestine microbiome, boosting GLP-1 expression, as an alternative of inhibiting it, could also be higher for weight reduction. A technique to do that is by colonizing your intestine with Akkermansia muciniphila, a sort of micro organism that naturally secretes a GLP-1-inducing protein. Researchers famous in a examine revealed within the journal Nature Microbiology:

“A. muciniphila will increase thermogenesis and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion in high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced C57BL/6J mice by induction of uncoupling protein 1 in brown adipose tissue and systemic GLP-1 secretion.”

The significance of Akkermansia in supporting intestine well being can’t be emphasised sufficient. In my interview with Georgi Dinkov, I clarify why Akkermansia is such a keystone species. Nevertheless, many individuals lack this particular microbe, which I consider is brought on by inadequate power manufacturing, leading to oxygen leakage into the intestine.

Sure meals, notably these wealthy in polyphenols, can nourish the expansion of Akkermansia in your intestine and help general well being. Wholesome sources embrace berries, broccoli, apples, ginger, onions, inexperienced tea and carrots.²³ A examine²⁴ revealed within the Worldwide Journal of Molecular Sciences explains why Akkermansia is linked to higher well being:

“Akkermansia muciniphila is a mucosal symbiont thought of a intestine microbial marker in wholesome people, as its relative abundance is considerably lowered in topics with intestine irritation and metabolic disturbances.

Dietary polyphenols can distinctly stimulate the relative abundance of A. muciniphila, contributing to the attenuation of a number of illnesses, together with weight problems, Kind 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel illnesses, and liver injury.”

Nature Already Has Its Personal Ozempic

A naturally occurring compound present in goldenseal, barberry, Oregon grape and tree turmeric, berberine has been dubbed as “nature’s Ozempic” due to its capability to help weight reduction naturally.²⁵ In accordance with a examine revealed in Molecules,²⁶ its properties might assist with the administration of Kind 2 diabetes, weight problems, atherosclerosis, most cancers and cardiovascular problems. The researchers define how these advantages happen:

“It positively contributes to elevated ranges of fasting, postprandial blood glucose, and glycosylated hemoglobin, whereas lowering insulin resistance. It stimulates glycolysis, enhancing insulin secretion and inhibits gluconeogenesis and adipogenesis within the liver; by decreasing insulin resistance, berberine additionally improves ovulation.

The antiobesity motion of berberine has been additionally well-documented. Berberine acts as an anti-sclerotic, decreasing the LDL and testosterone ranges. The alkaloid displays an anti-inflammatory property by stalling the expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and prostaglandin E2.”

These findings have been verified in different revealed analysis as effectively. In accordance with one systematic evaluate, berberine might assist regulate blood sugar ranges and enhance insulin sensitivity.²⁷ This is a crucial issue as a result of insulin resistance is carefully linked to weight acquire and weight problems, and addressing these might enhance insulin sensitivity, and thus, weight reduction.²⁸

One other examine²⁹ revealed in Frontiers in Mobile and An infection Microbiology discovered that berberine might assist “alleviate the pathological circumstances of metabolic problems, and the mechanism is said to the regulation of intestine microbiota.” Furthermore, berberine’s capability to manage the intestine microbiota might increase its absorption.

Reduce Linoleic Acid Consumption for Higher, Lengthy-Time period Outcomes

I consider that the elusive magic bullet for weight reduction the world is chasing is not going to exist in our lifetime. Because the proof has proven, counting on medicine that alter your physique’s important capabilities places you liable to debilitating well being points. And when you get off Ozempic/Wegovy, you are prone to acquire again the burden you have misplaced. In accordance with a report,³⁰ most individuals who cease semaglutide injections regain two-thirds of misplaced weight — a phenomenon referred to as “Ozempic rebound.”

For safer, more healthy weight reduction, it is necessary to handle one of many largest components at present driving the weight problems epidemic — extra consumption of linoleic acid (LA). It is an omega-6 fats present in seed oils broadly utilized in cooking. Distinguished examples embrace soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, rapeseed (canola), corn and safflower oil.³¹

Along with avoiding any meals cooked or made with these oils, ditch the processed meals, quick meals and restaurant meals. In the event you completely should exit to have a meal, try the Templeton Listing,³² which lists eating places recognized for his or her more healthy meals choices. They think about standards similar to domestically sourced, sustainable components and utilization of wholesome oils in cooking.

Lastly, I like to recommend minimizing your LA consumption to under 5 grams (and even higher, under 2 grams) per day, which is analogous to what our ancestors’ consumption earlier than the widespread look of power well being circumstances plaguing trendy society as we speak. To be taught extra in regards to the hazard of LA, learn my article “Linoleic Acid — The Most Damaging Ingredient in Your Eating regimen.“