Dr Michael Mosley has explained why women benefit from weight loss injections far more than men, who typically find it easier to shed weight through traditional dieting techniques. It comes as the NHS will now offer the jabs, but you will need to meet certain criteria to get them.
Writing in his Daily Mail column, Dr Mosley explained men usually lose more weight while dieting because males tend to be more muscular and have higher metabolic rates, meaning they burn more calories while resting than women. However, the health guru has revealed that with weight loss injections the situation is reversed.
He says that women can lose a higher percentage of body weight than men. "One of the first big studies that looked at semaglutide found that the men and women given the drug had, over 66 weeks, lost an impressive 2st 6lb (15.3 kg)." Dr Mosley wrote.
"What was also striking was that the women in the trial lost a higher percentage of their initial weight than the men, around 18 per cent versus 13 per cent, according to a re-analysis of the data by Dr Alyssa Susanto, a researcher in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney."
While the study didn't suggest why there was a difference between genders, Dr Mosley has a theory. He said: "I suspect it might be because these new drugs work so powerfully on the brain, reducing cravings — and research suggests women are more susceptible to cravings than men."
Semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, is an antidiabetic medication, which is now being used for weight loss. It works by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) that targets the area of the brain responsible for regulating appetite, meaning you are more likely to eat less food.
In the UK, Semaglutide has been approved for NHS use by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. It will be recommended to people with at least one weight-related health condition as well as those who have a body mass index (BMI) which is near the top of the obese range.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a £40million pilot scheme to allow GPs to prescribe them, rather than having to go through a specialist. The hope is prescribing the injections will greatly reduce NHS spending on obesity treatments, which directly costs £6billion annually.
