University of São Paulo: No Evidence Supports Safe Use of Obesity Medications
According to the Global Obesity Atlas , published in 2023, by 2035 more than 4 billion people around the world will be overweight. This will occur because countries are not mobilizing to improve the prevention, treatment and support of obesity and, therefore, are not reducing the numbers of the condition.
“It is no coincidence that the increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods occurs simultaneously with the increase in overweight rates worldwide,” says Maria Alvim, a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health (Nupens) at the School of Public Health (FSP) at USP. She assures that there is a direct link between the excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods and weight gain, proven by evidence based on meta-analyses and clinical trials.
Medication and obesity
Despite the popularity of the use of medications to treat obesity, the researcher comments that it is premature to state the safe use of these medications, since there is still no evidence to support such assessments. For her, at this point, the importance of a healthy diet and the establishment of public policies to combat the consumption of ultra-processed foods and obesity should be emphasized, above the use of these substances.
Among the medications that have become popular are Ozempic and Wegovy, which can offer, on average, a 17% weight loss to patients who use them — in addition to other possible benefits. However, according to Maria, even the vice president of Novo Nordisk, the company responsible for manufacturing these drugs, warned about the dangers of using them for aesthetic purposes, since there is no guarantee of benefits for this type of application and, if done indiscriminately, it can cause significant metabolic damage.
“When addressing this topic, it is essential to problematize the harmful effects of contemporary thin body culture, often imposed by social media. This social pressure can lead to risky decisions in pursuit of unattainable aesthetic standards, putting people’s health and well-being at risk,” concludes the specialist.