According to an American study, 72 percent women and 61 percent men are dissatisfied with their weight or body image. Globally, millions of people attempt to lose weight each year with the hope that weight loss will have a positive impact on their body image, health, and quality of life. However, these people often struggle to maintain new diets or exercise routines. Medications such as semaglutides such as Ozempic or Vegovy may be seen as an attractive quick-fix option for meeting weight loss goals. Research led by our team and others shows that such weight loss efforts often cause more harm than good, and even increase the risk of developing an eating disorder.
Weightloss and eating disorders
Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions characterized primarily by extreme patterns of under- or overeating, concerns about one’s shape or body weight, or other behaviors that affect body shape or weight, such as excessive exercise or self-inflicted vomiting. Are caused by. Although it was once thought that it only affected young, white teenage girls, this is not the case, eating disorders do not discriminate. Eating disorders can develop in people of any age, gender, racial/ethnic background, with an estimated one million Canadians suffering from an eating disorder at any one time. February 1 to 7 is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. As a clinical psychologist and clinical psychology graduate student, our research has focused on how eating disorders develop and what causes them to persist. Consistent with society’s focus on weight-related goals, our research examined the relationship between weight loss and eating disorder symptoms.
Eating Disorders and Weight Suppression
In eating disorders research, the condition of maintaining weight loss is called “weight suppression”. Weight suppression is generally defined as the difference between a person’s current weight and their lifetime highest weight (except pregnancy). Despite the belief that weight loss will improve body satisfaction, we found that in a sample of over 600 men and women, weight loss had no effect on women’s negative body image and that it was associated with an increase in body dissatisfaction in men. Was connected. Importantly, being overweight has been linked to the onset of eating disorders including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. One proposed explanation for the association between weight suppression and eating disorders is that weight loss becomes increasingly difficult to maintain as the body’s systems that reduce metabolic rate and energy expenditure and increase appetite, promote weight gain. Are active in promoting. There is growing awareness that following traditional diet programs is highly likely to lead to weight gain. This may cause people to engage in more and more extreme behaviors to control their weight, or they may alternate between extreme restriction of food intake and episodes of overeating or binge eating, which are typical symptoms of bulimia nervosa.
Zempic and other semaglutide medications
Semaglutide drugs like Ozempic and Vegovy are part of a class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists (GLP-1A). These drugs work by mimicking the hormone GLP-1 to communicate with nerve pathways that signal satiety (fullness) and slow stomach emptying, thereby reducing food intake. Although GLP-1a have been shown to be useful for treating type 2 diabetes, they are increasingly being prescribed off-label or purchased illegally without a prescription due to their observed effectiveness in weight loss. Used to be. Although medications like Ozempic often cause weight loss, over time the rate of weight loss may slow or stop. Research by Lindsay Bodell, one of the authors of this article, and her colleagues on weight suppression may help explain why the effects of semaglutides diminish over time, because weight suppression is associated with reduced GLP-1 response. . This means that people who are losing weight may be less responsive to satiety signals activated by GLP-1A. Additionally, weight loss effects are only seen for as long as the medication is taken, meaning that people who take these medications may not achieve some weight loss goal once they stop taking the medication. If so, the weight lost is regained in most cases, if not all of it.
Risks of dieting and weight loss drugs
The growing market of off-label weight loss medications is worrisome, as concerns about weight are rising and there are serious health risks associated with unmonitored weight loss, including eating disorders. Researchers and health professionals are already raising concerns about the use of GLP-1a in children and adolescents due to concerns about its potential effects on growth and development. Furthermore, popular weight loss methods, whether they involve pills or crash diets, often mimic the symptoms of eating disorders. For example, intermittent fasting diets that involve fasting for long periods of time followed by short periods of eating may increase the risk of developing binge eating problems.
increased risk of suffering from an eating disorder
It has been found that, the use of pills or laxatives to lose weight increases the risk of suffering from an eating disorder in the next one to three years. Medications such as Ozempic may also be misused by individuals who are already struggling with an eating disorder to suppress their appetite, compensate for binge eating on certain occasions, or manage their fear of gaining weight. Individuals who are already exhibiting symptoms of an eating disorder, such as limiting their food intake and intense concerns about their weight, are at the highest risk of converting to an eating disorder with a weight loss diet or medication. Maybe, even if they only lose a moderate amount of weight.
feel pressure to try drastic methods
People who are dissatisfied with their weight or have made several attempts to lose weight often feel pressured to try drastic methods. However, any diet, exercise program or weight loss medicine that promises a quick solution to weight loss should be used with extreme caution. At best, your weight may gain back; At worst, you put yourself at risk for more serious eating disorders and other health problems.