With the latest recognition of weight reduction and diabetes medication, individuals are at all times looking out for the most recent (and least expensive) Ozempic or Wegovy dupe. Enter: “Oatzempic,” a brand new drink taking up TikTok.
The drink—with a reputation that mixes the phrases “oats” and “Ozempic”—is made by mixing oats, water, and lime juice. TikTok customers are calling it the most recent weight reduction tonic, with some claiming that the beverage can assist you lose 40 kilos in two months.
One TikTok creator’s video exhibiting her second day of the “Oatzempic Problem,” as she known as it, has gotten greater than 2.7 million views. On the time of publication, the hashtag #Oatzempic had greater than 1,100 posts and counting.
Whereas the substances in Oatzempic drinks are wholesome and should assist with weight administration, consultants warning that the drink’s comparability to Ozempic and larger weight reduction claims are overblown and deceptive.
“Ozempic is a hormone that impacts your mind, in addition to your intestine. It suppresses the urge for food for as much as per week,” mentioned Mir Ali, MD, a bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Middle at Orange Coast Medical Middle in Fountain Valley, California. “Whenever you eat oats, it could possibly enable you to really feel full for a couple of hours. [They are] definitely not the identical.”
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Making a glass of Oatzempic is sort of an identical to consuming a bowl of oatmeal, which can assist individuals with weight reduction. “In case you substitute your morning meal with oats, it could possibly put you in a calorie deficit and enable you to drop a few pounds,” mentioned Ali.
The most important contributor right here is the fiber in oats—one cup packs in about 8 grams of fiber, which can assist hold you feeling full and cut back your urge for food, in keeping with Ali. One particular sort of fiber in oats—beta-glucan—is a soluble fiber that absorbs water, turns it right into a gel, and slows down digestion.
Moreover, a 2023 assessment of earlier analysis concluded that oats “have a constructive function in sustaining physique weight and BMI, decreasing p.c physique fats, and regulating urge for food and vitality.”
However whereas oats and oatmeal could assist assist weight reduction and weight administration, their mechanisms and outcomes are vastly completely different than weight reduction medicines.
Ozempic—together with different well-liked medication like Wegovy, Victoza, and Saxenda—is a glucagon-type peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, which works by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone produced naturally by your physique. This slows down the digestion course of, which can assist sufferers keep fuller for longer and eat much less.
Although oats (and fiber basically) may set off the physique into releasing GLP-1 naturally, it’s not in the identical manner or on the identical scale as GLP-1 receptor agonists, mentioned Rudolph Bedford, MD, a gastroenterologist at Windfall Saint John’s Well being Middle in Santa Monica, California. “Oatmeal simply fills you up,” he added.
Ali agreed: “Whereas a breakfast of oatmeal is wholesome and filling, it’s definitely no alternative for Ozempic.”
The promise of quick weight reduction is the massive draw with Oatzempic claims, however wholesome and sustainable weight reduction usually takes a slower strategy. “Everyone seems to be on the lookout for a straightforward resolution, however sadly, there isn’t a straightforward resolution with weight reduction,” mentioned Ali.
In case you’re shedding weight via dietary adjustments, Ali mentioned {that a} tempo of dropping one to 2 kilos per week is an inexpensive aim. “However you must consider the place the particular person is ranging from,” he mentioned. “Folks with a better weight may lose extra at first.”
In case you’re concerned about attempting Oatzempic, Bedford mentioned there’s no hurt in giving it a attempt—that is mainly simply having oatmeal, in any case. “It’s definitely not going to harm anybody,” he mentioned. (You’ll, nonetheless, wish to drink loads of water to assist keep away from further bloating, gasoline, and constipation, he added.)
However merely consuming a glass of Oatzempic is unlikely to have any actual results if different way of life habits stay unchanged. In that case, Ali mentioned specializing in different adjustments, together with an total nutritious food regimen and extra energetic way of life, is useful. “It’s vital to give attention to the food regimen all through the day,” he mentioned, “not only one meal.”