The Power of Wegovy
- A new analysis has shown that Novo Nordisk weight loss drug Wegovy offers long-term weight loss effects for patients taking the widely-used injection, which tech guru Elon Musk said helped him lose about 20 pounds.
- If you’re considering taking a weight loss drug, talk with your care team about whether that’s a good option for you. And make sure you consider good diet and exercise practices as a part of your treatment plan.
- It’s important to understand that obesity increases an individual’s risk of developing a range of dangerous health conditions, including several types of cancer. In addition to increasing the likelihood of developing certain cancers, obesity is associated with worse treatment outcomes.
- Dr. Andrea Tufano-Sugarman of NYU Langone Health explains to SurvivorNet the benefits of losing weight: “While all cancers cannot be prevented, losing weight is a great way to reduce one’s risk.”
- When faced with a new challenge, like losing weight, it’s important to make sure that these coping mechanisms you have to care for your mental health continue to work throughout the process.
A new analysis has revealed that Novo Nordisk's semaglutide, the highly popular new drug known under the brand names Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsu, offers long-term weight loss effects for patients taking the widely-used injection, which celebrities like Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, and Sharon Osbourne have taken. Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk presented it's
new data this week at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, Italy, informing the public that people who underwent Wegovy's obesity treatment kept off an average of 10% of their weight when taking the drug for four years. According to
Reuters , Novo's head of development Martin Holst Lange said in a statement, "This is the longest study we've conducted so far of semaglutide for weight loss. "We see that once the majority of the weight loss is accrued, you don't go back and start to increase in weight if you stay on the drug." Markus Manns, a portfolio manager at Union Investment and shareholder of Novo Nordisk, also told Reuters reaps good news for the company as it "unlocks another $2 billion opportunity" for Novo Nordisk. According to the 17,604-patient trial study, titled Select, patients dropped an average of nearly 10% of their total body while taking Wegovy for 65 weeks, and the weight loss remained around the same amount until four years later when the percentage increase by .2%. Last year, it was also revealed that this study found a 20% reduction in the risk of a major cardiovascular event for up to five years.
Expert Resources On Healthy Living
Semaglutide is an FDA-approved prescription medication for adults with type 2 diabetes. The drug, which is administered as a weekly injection, assists the body by helping the pancreas make more insulin, ultimately lowering blood sugar levels. Although it has not been FDA-approved for weight loss, the drug has been prescribed by some doctors.
Wegovy previously went viral when
tech guru Elon Musk , 52, who founded both Tesla and SpaceX, took to "X," formerly known as Twitter, last year to reveal his secret to being "fit, ripped, and healthy." According to
Business Insider , Musk lost about 20 pounds by fasting and taking blockbuster weight loss drug Wegovy. https://twitter.com/EvasTeslaSPlaid/status/1576189386030743552 This injection was approved in 2021 for chronic weight management in adults with obesity and in adults who are overweight with at least one weight-related condition (such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol) for use in addition to a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity. But the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research expanded the population to patients
aged 12 years and older in 2022. Wegovy is taken as a self-administered injection once a week. “This drug mimics a hormone that targets the areas of the brain that control appetite and can make you feel fuller sooner,” according to a post from
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center . “It can help someone lose about 15% of their body weight so a person who weighs 300 pounds could expect to lose 45 pounds.”
Ozempic , on the other hand, is a lower dosage of the drug semaglutide. It was first approved as a treatment for type 2 diabetes in 2017. Ozempic is also a
weekly injection , and it’s been in hot demand lately since many supplies ran low after the
medication was touted by social media users and celebrities alike as an effective off-label substitute for Wegovy. Both Ozempic and Wegovy are medications from the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.
How Does Semaglutide Work?
Integral to blood sugar control,
GLP-1 is a hormone released by the gut in response to food. It causes the pancreas to release insulin. A rising blood insulin level causes all the body tissues to start absorbing glucose (blood sugar) from the bloodstream, thereby lowering blood glucose levels. GLP-1 also prevents the release of glucagon, which is a hormone that raises blood sugar levels by stimulating liver cells to release glucose and helps people feel full for longer. These effects can also cause people to lose weight. Modern studies on GLP-1 have shown that it has a role beyond glucose control. It modulates the immune system cells, including NK cells, in a way
necessary for weight loss. Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, meaning that it
mimics the effects of GLP-1 in the body. Given as weekly subcutaneous injections It is normally prescribed to manage blood glucose levels in diabetic patients. It also leads to a significant amount of weight loss in these patients. Although semaglutide has been approved for blood sugar control in people with type II diabetes, under the brand name Ozempic, and for weight loss under the brand name Wegovy, it has not been approved for use as an immune booster and cancer preventative. Thus, it should not be prescribed for that purpose. Those taking it to control their diabetes or weight, however, can expect the additional benefit of improving their immunity. as per a
recent study , and lowering their cancer risk, as a link between weight and cancer does exist.
Obesity & Cancer Risk
Staying in shape like Elon Musk does is important, especially because obesity increases an individual's risk of developing a range of dangerous health conditions, including several types of cancer. In addition to increasing the likelihood of developing certain cancers, obesity is associated with worse treatment outcomes. In a previous interview with SurvivorNet,
Dr. Stephen Freedland of Cedars Sinai Medical Center said, "Some of the best data we have is that obesity increases the risk of not just getting prostate cancer, but actually dying from prostate cancer. Obese men are 35 percent more likely to die from prostate cancer."
RELATED: The Link Between Obesity and Prostate Cancer While obesity or a person's high weight will not always cause them to develop cancer, other conditions associated obesity, like diabetes and heart disease, can lead to complications from cancer treatment if a person already has cancer. In addition, these conditions can sometimes prevent patients from receiving the recommended first-line therapies, as well as increase a patient's risk of undergoing surgery.
Dr. Andrea Tufano-Sugarman of NYU Langone Health explained to SurvivorNet the benefits of losing weight. "While all cancers cannot be prevented," she said, "losing weight is a great way to reduce one's risk." Dr. Tufano-Sugarman said that this is especially true for women; they lower their risk of developing breast cancer and endometrial cancer when they lose weight and keep it of.
How Can Diet Affect My Cancer Risk? Even without losing weight, adopting a more nutritious diet can help. "Food choices, independent of weight loss, may also help to reduce risk," Dr. Tufano-Sugarman said. "Research has shown that the Mediterranean diet (rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, fish and olive oil) is associated with a decreased risk of cancer. Whereas diets rich in red meat may be associated with an increased risk of colorectal and prostate cancer."
Diet and Exercise Considerations for Cancer Survivors
Although Musk has never battled cancer, we think its important to point out that it's never a bad idea to try to lead a healthy lifestyle. But what should you know about maintaining good health and cancer risk? We’ve got you covered below.
Thinking about Diet
Healthy diet recommendations for cancer-related concerns can differ depending upon who you ask. Studies have shown that diet can influence cancer prevention.
Heavy alcohol consumption and
obesity have been linked to a number of cancers, so it’s a good idea to exercise and maintain a diet that incorporates more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins while decreasing sodium and added sugar intake. Sugar, specifically, has attracted a lot of attention for a possible role in cancer, but overwhelming medical evidence finds that sugar does not cause cancer. SurvivorNet has previously found that credible sources such as
Memorial Sloan-Kettering and
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center all came to that same conclusion as well. But there is still some debate on the subject.
Dr. Brian Berman, director of the center for integrative medicine at the University of Maryland, believes sugar does, in fact, fuel cancer.
RELATED: Former NYPD Detective & 9/11 Responder Says 100 Pound Weight Loss Saved Him After Cancer, Heart Failure Diagnoses Below we have shared his views not because it is of equal scientific weight to the sources cited above, but rather because it is a view that does get a lot of attention and press.
Sugar, The Western Diet And Cancer Prevention There’s also articles that often get published saying “this fruit” or “that vegetable” is the magical cure to cancer. Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily the case. Leading oncologists say it is always hard to use studies of a single food to make sweeping generalizations about their impact on health. There is a variety of factors that can determine health risk and it is difficult, and perhaps impossible, to say that a single food such as mushrooms can have a direct impact on cancer risk. Many other factors such as overall diet, environmental risk, genetics and exercise play a role.
Dr. Ken Miller says a healthy diet and regular workout routine are important Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff 
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