As of: March 13, 2024, 11:11 a.m
By: Robin Dittrich
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Weight loss injections promise quick success in losing unnecessary kilos.
An expert is now warning of serious side effects.
Frankfurt – According to the Federal Statistical Office, 54 percent of all adults in Germany are overweight.
Weight loss injections promise quick help with the problem - but unwanted side effects can occur after taking them.
Hype about weight loss injections – experts warn against false promises
The weight loss drug “Wegovy” is best known through influencers from the USA – the active ingredient “Semaglutide” it contains was originally used as a diabetes medication.
“Wegovy” can also be legally prescribed by doctors in Germany since July 2023.
The drug is known as an appetite suppressant and is primarily intended to encourage overweight people to buy it.
For the manufacturer Nobo Nordisk, sales in Germany brought one thing above all: more profit.
However, experts warn of sometimes serious side effects and a yo-yo effect.
Weight loss injections are now extremely popular in Germany, but experts warn of side effects.
© NTB/Imago (symbol image)
“As far as how it works, I have to curb the euphoria.
Because not everyone benefits from it.
For one it works well, for the other it doesn't work at all and the next one suffers too much from the side effects and has to stop using it," nutrition expert Daniela Kielkowski told
Focus
.
As the expert further stated, serious side effects such as stomach or intestinal paralysis as well as muscle loss can occur, "some even lose teeth."
Renewed weight gain: A yo-yo effect often occurs with weight loss products
Kielkowski is not the only expert who doubts the success of the alleged miracle cures.
A research team in the journal Jama observed that after taking the drug tirzepatide for 36 weeks, there was a significant weight gain again when only a dummy drug was given.
Tirzepatide is said to be even more effective than the active ingredient semaglutide, which is contained in “Wegovy”.
Nevertheless, the 670 test subjects in the study recorded a total weight loss of around ten percent.
According to the researchers, the results of the study underlined that therapy must be continued if re-gain is to be avoided.
“The studies clearly show that the 'miracle syringes' must be used for life,” said Stephan Martin, chief physician for diabetology in Düsseldorf.
Some side effects such as nausea, diarrhea and constipation were also observed in the study.
Some participants even stopped taking part in the study because of this.
In 2023, there were even some counterfeits of a diabetes and weight loss medication in circulation.
(
rd/dpa
)