00:00Now, a new study has come out on popular weight loss drugs.
00:04Now, these drugs are sometimes popularly called as GLP-1 medications.
00:08Some of the very well-known medications are Ozampic and Vigovie.
00:12One of the survey, which actually involved 9,000 Americans,
00:15what they found out is 12%, which means 1 in 8 Americans have already tried these drugs to lose weight.
00:22Now, 74% say that they do not plan to use these medications.
00:26The use of Ozampic and other GLP-1 medications has increased sharply in recent years.
00:33Now, the survey was performed during April and May of 2025.
00:37What it shows is that women aged 50 to 64 use these drugs the most.
00:41Nearly 1 in 5 women in this particular group has taken them.
00:45Men use these drugs less overall.
00:48Now, among people 65 and older, men use these drugs slightly more than women.
00:52Younger women aged 30 to 49 are more than twice as likely as men to have taken these drugs.
00:59Since 2020, prescriptions for these GLP-1 drugs have tripled.
01:04They are effective in helping people to lose weight.
01:07Now, what these drugs really do is that they copy a natural hormone
01:10that controls appetite and blood sugar.
01:14What it does then is it leads to significant weight loss in clinical trials.
01:20But a very important point is that there are side effects as well.
01:24About half the users report nausea, one-third experience diarrhea.
01:29These side effects is what actually cause some of the people to stop the treatment altogether as well.
01:35Now, real-life studies show that about half stop using GLP-1 drugs within a year.
01:42Now, this is often not only because of the side effects,
01:45but also because of the cost and insurance issues.
01:48But what we are seeing is that adherence is improving.
01:51In early 2024, 63% of patients, as per the data, were still on the drugs even after a year.
01:58So, this is up from 40% in 2023.
02:02People who continue and reach for higher doses often see good results as well.
02:07Now, losing about 5% of body weight can improve health.
02:10It helps in tackling blood pressure, blood sugar, and heart risk.
02:15Beyond stomach issues, as per the new data, what we really see is that there is a possibility of mood changes as well.
02:23Anxiety and nutritional deficiency may also occur.
02:26According to experts, mental health and nutrition must be watched while you take this treatment.
02:32Another factor is cost, which remains a problem for many people.
02:35Drug shortages are easing, prices are starting to stabilize, but researchers are also working on new kind of treatments.
02:43So, for example, oral GLP-1 drugs and multi-hormone therapies, these are some of the things which are in development.
02:50They aim to be more effective and more safe than the regular GLP-1 drugs.
02:56Now, GLP-1 drugs are a very powerful tool for weight loss,
02:59but what I really want to tell you is that they need careful selection and management.
03:04So, if you are thinking about using these drugs for long-term use,
03:08talk to your doctor first, make sure that they are right for you.
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