A nutritionist claims three foods have the same effect on your body as weight loss injections. In recent months weight loss injections have been in the public eye after claims that some Hollywood stars are using them to shed the pounds.
Brands such as Wegovy and Ozempic both contain a compound that mimics fullness caused by the GLP-1 hormone. They are intended to be used to treat type 2 diabetes, by managing blood sugar levels.
Nutritionist Dr Emma Beckett believes foods such as avocados, nuts and eggs can offer similar effects on the body on these injections. According to the expert, avocados are full of nutrients that trigger the GLP-1 hormone that boosts fullness.
Speaking to Diabetes.co.uk, she explained: “The nutrients that trigger GLP-1 secretion are macronutrients. There is evidence that by choosing foods high in these nutrients, GLP-1 levels can be increased.
“This means a healthy diet, high in GLP-1 stimulating nutrients can increase GLP-1 levels. This could be foods with good fats, like avocado or nuts, or lean protein sources like eggs.
"And foods high in fermentable fibres, like vegetables and whole grains, feed our gut bacteria, which then produce short chain fatty acids able to trigger GLP-1 secretion,” the Daily Record reports.
Wegovy has been approved for use on the NHS through prescription to those with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 and higher. However, patients must have a serious weight-related condition, like type 2 diabetes, to be considered eligable.
Clinical trials conducted by Wegovy found that participants with an average starting weight of 232 pounds lost 15 per cent of their body weight while using the injection - around 35 pounds or 2.5 stone over a 68 week period.
But using weight loss injections unfortunately does not give you the go ahead to indulge and Dr Beckett says that users still have to make long lasting changes to their diet "for true health improvements". While intended to treat obesity, some famous users like Jeremy Clarkson, billionaire businessman Elon Musk and American presenter Chelsea Handler have openly admitted to using the drug to lose weight.
