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Immunotherapy Drug Eliminated Need for Surgery, Chemo in Early Stage Cancers

Doctor talks with patient and child
A new clinical trial examined the effects of an immunotherapy drug on treating dMMR cancers in their early stages and showed remarkable results. Getty Images
  • A new clinical trial shows the immunotherapy drug dostarlimab could eliminate the need for surgery and chemotherapy in certain cancers.
  • The results are a medical breakthrough since the drug could help preserve organs.
  • People with the dMMR gene mutation, which most often presents in colorectal cancer, are the best candidates for this novel treatment.

New findings from a clinical trial highlight the potential for neoadjuvant immunotherapy to eliminate the need for surgery in patients with a particular type of cancer, helping them maintain a higher quality of life.

The study, published on April 27 in The New England Journal of Medicine, revealed that 80% of participants did not need surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy after undergoing six months of immunotherapy alone.

This study shows that immunotherapy can replace surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy for mismatch repair-deficient solid tumors, which could help patients preserve their organs and avoid the harsh side effects of chemo and radiation,” lead author Andrea Cercek, MD, a gastrointestinal oncologist and co-director of the Center for Young Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said in a press release.

“Preserving a patient’s quality of life while also successfully achieving positive results in eliminating their cancer is the best possible outcome. They can return to their daily routines and maintain their independence,” Cercek continued.

This phase 2 study builds on previous landmark research, in which colorectal cancer patients receiving the immunotherapy drug dostarlimab experienced complete tumor remission.

In recognition of these results, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted dostarlimab Breakthrough Therapy Designation for this form of colorectal cancer in December 2024.

Dostarlimab shows remarkable results in dMMR cancers

The goal of the researchers was to see if the immunotherapy drug dostarlimab could help people with mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) cancers avoid surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) states that dMMR cells have mutations in genes that are responsible for repairing errors in DNA replication. These cells tend to accumulate DNA mutations, which can put people at greater risk of cancer.

This deficiency is most frequently seen in colorectal cancer, as well as other gastrointestinal cancers and endometrial cancer. It can also appear in breast, prostate, bladder, and thyroid cancers, and is associated with the inherited condition known as Lynch syndrome.

The study analysis included 117 patients with early stage solid tumors exhibiting dMMR.

These individuals were given nine doses of dostarlimab (one dose every three weeks) for six months.

After treatment ended, the researchers checked to see if the cancer was gone.

Out of 103 patients who completed treatment, 82% had no signs of cancer, and 80% were deemed to be able to skip further treatment such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

Additionally, among those who had colorectal cancer, all 49 had a complete response to treatment, allowing them to avoid surgery.

The researchers further found that the results were long-lasting, with 92% of patients still being cancer-free after two years.

For the most part, the side effects of dostarlimab were mild and included symptoms such as fatigue or rash.

The authors noted that the drug worked quickly; in many patients, the cancer was no longer visible on scans by around six months. Blood tests for tumor DNA were negative in most people within 1 to 2 months.

A breakthrough treatment for early stage dMMR cancers

Steven Quay, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist specializing in cancer research and the founder of Atossa Therapeutics, described this study as “nothing short of a paradigm-shifter.” Quay wasn’t involved in the clinical trial.

“It shows that neoadjuvant immunotherapy (specifically PD-1 blockade with dostarlimab) can eliminate the need for surgery in a substantial proportion of patients with mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) tumors,” he told Healthline.

Quay further noted that this doesn’t just mean engaging in watchful waiting when tumors are small and may never progress to the point of causing the patient harm.

“[W]e’re talking about avoiding curative-intent surgery altogether,” he said.

Quay further explained that these findings challenge two long-standing assumptions: that curing solid tumors requires surgical removal, and that immunotherapy is only effective for cancers that have spread or cannot be surgically removed.

If these results are confirmed in future studies, Quay says some cancers might one day be treated entirely without surgery, marking a shift in cancer care from cutting tumors out to harnessing the immune system to eliminate them.

“It’s equivalent to going from ‘cutting out the fire’ to ‘training the firefighters,’” he explained.

How dostarlimab works to treat cancer

Pashtoon Kasi, MD, MS, the medical director of gastrointestinal medical oncology at City of Hope Orange County in Irvine, California, said drugs like dostarlimab rely on your body’s own cancer-fighting ability. Kasi wasn’t involved in the clinical trial.

“Simplistically, these drugs are called immunotherapy and take the brakes off your own immune or defense system,” he said, adding that we probably develop several cancers during our lifetime. However, our body usually can get rid of them.

“Sometimes though the cancer hides under the immune system radar, or the defenses are down, and that cancer gets a free pass to develop and spread,” Kasi told Healthline.

Delving more deeply into the mechanisms, Quay explained that dostarlimab is a PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor.

Using the metaphor of the immune system as a sniper unit, he said: “Tumors hijack the PD-1 pathway to tell immune cells, ‘Don’t kill me — I’m friendly!’”

However, dostarlimab blocks PD-1, which once again allows the body’s T-cells to recognize and attack the tumor.

Which cancers respond best to dostarlimab?

“The key here is not where the tumor is,” said Quay, “but what it’s made of genetically. Patients who stand to benefit most are those with mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) tumors.”

According to Quay, these tumors are “juicy targets” for immune checkpoint blockade due to the many foreign proteins found on the tumor’s surface.

Specifically, the cancers included in this study were colorectal cancer and other non-rectal solid tumors, including gastrointestinal, gynecologic, and genitourinary cancers.

Kasi added that he advises all of his patients to be tested for dMMR.

“If anyone’s cancer is mismatch repair deficient (dMMR), while chemotherapy does not work well, immunotherapy on the other hand works very well,” he said.

The bottom line? “If you’re a patient with a dMMR tumor, no matter if it’s in the colon, uterus, pancreas, or stomach, you’re potentially in the immunotherapy winner’s circle,” concluded Quay.

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Household Plastics Raise Cardiovascular Disease Risk: 4 Ways to Limit Exposure

Plastic tupperware filled with food
New research linked microplastics found in common household products to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Carlo Franco/Getty Images
  • A new study says plastics found in common household products can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in people ages 55 to 64.
  • Previous research has indicated that phthalates used in plastic products are linked to higher risks of reproductive health issues, obesity, and cancer.
  • Experts say you can reduce your exposure to microplastics by avoiding processed foods and not using plastic utensils or bowls.

A synthetic chemical used in many household products is being linked to a potential increase in cardiovascular disease risk.

A study published on April 28 in the journal eBioMedicine reports that “plastics pose a significant risk to increased cardiovascular mortality.”

The researchers focused on a family of chemicals known as phthalates, which are used to strengthen the plastic used in an array of products from children’s toys to shampoo, soap, air fresheners, perfume, vinyl flooring, garden hoses, clothing, plastic food wrappings, and containers.

In particular, the scientists looked at the risks associated with a phthalate known as di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, or DEHP, in 200 countries and territories worldwide.

They concluded that this type of phthalate may have contributed to more than 13% of all global mortality from cardiovascular disease in 2018 in males and females ages 55 to 64.

The researchers reported that exposure to DEHP contributed to more than 350,000 deaths in 2018 among males and females ages 55 through 64 globally, with some regions experiencing higher cardiovascular disease burdens than others.

South Asia and the Middle East had the highest percentage of deaths from cardiovascular disease linked to DEHP exposure, with an average of about 17% between the two regions. Latin America, East Asia and the Pacific, and Canada had around 13% of cardiovascular disease deaths attributable to DEHP exposure, with Australia and Africa hovering around 12%.

“This [study] continues to contribute to the growing body of evidence regarding our use of plastics for both personal use and in our environments,” said Jayne Morgan, MD, a cardiologist and vice president of medical affairs at Hello Heart. Morgan wasn’t involved in the study.

Morgan noted that any causation linking exposure to microplastics and cardiovascular disease remains unknown.

“Possibilities include the triggering of chronic inflammation in the body, a negative impact on the immune system, and/or direct toxic effect. As these chemicals are ubiquitous in many of our plastics, making them softer and more pliable and bendable, a closer look is warranted,” Morgan told Healthline.

“This study is observational, so there may be unknown factors that can explain this rise in death related to phthalates, and I would caution against concluding that phthalates cause people to die more often,” added Yu-Ming Ni, MD, a cardiologist and lipidologist at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in California. Ni wasn’t involved in the study.

“This finding suggests [a] need for further study into whether reduction in plastic exposure can improve cardiovascular outcomes. It also emphasizes the importance of reducing plastics exposure,” he told Healthline.

What are the health risks of plastics?

This study is not the first time plastics used in common products have been linked to health dangers.

2021 study done by the same research team concluded that phthalates may contribute to about 100,000 premature deaths a year among people in the United States ages 55 to 64The scientists said people with the highest levels of phthalates had a greater risk of death from any cause, especially cardiovascular mortality.

In other research over the past 25 years, phthalates have been linked to reproductive health issues as well as asthmaobesity, and cancer.

Under California’s Proposition 65, companies must put warning labels on products containing DEHP due to concerns that it may increase the risk of cancer, birth defects, and reproductive health issues.

Concerns have also been raised in the past about Bisphenol-A (BPA), an industrial chemical used in plastic manufacturing. Researchers have expressed concerns that BPA can leach out of food and drink containers and contaminate food products and beverages.

  • 2024 study reported that one liter of bottled water can contain up to 240,000 detectable plastic fragments known as nanoplastics.
  • March 2025 study concluded that chewing gum can release hundreds or even thousands of microplastics in every gram of that product.
  • Another 2024 study reported that microplastics found in arterial plaque were associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

“As we learn more and more about the negative health consequences of plastics exposure, it is becoming increasingly clear that we should strive to limit our environmental exposure to plastics as much as possible,” Cheng-Han Chen, MD, an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in California, told Healthline. Chen wasn’t involved in the study.

“Microscopic pieces of plastic are difficult to break down naturally and are found widely throughout the world contaminating the soil and water. Microplastics are often found in the human body as a result,” added Ni.

How to reduce exposure to microplastics

Although contact with microplastics may seem unavoidable, experts say there are ways to limit exposure. Here are some of them.

Eat less processed food

Processed foods usually come in pre-packaged containers and sometimes are wrapped in pliable plastic.

Besides the health dangers associated with the food items themselves, experts say the packaging around processed foods could pose a risk.

You can reduce your consumption of processed foods with a few simple strategies:

Experts also suggest changing your shopping routine by avoiding aisles with processed foods and reading labels carefully.

Use fewer plastic products

Plastic utensils as well as plastic bowls can introduce microplastics into a person’s body.

Experts say using steel or aluminum forks, spoons, and knives as well as bowls made with something other than plastic can help reduce your exposure to nanoplastics.

Switching to glass or steel containers for storing food or water can also help.

“While it is difficult to eliminate our exposure to plastics in our environment, we can still try to reduce our use of plastics, especially of single-use plastics such as plastic utensils and food containers,” said Chen.

“Use more durable non-plastic containers for storage and avoid heating plastic to avoid getting it into the air,” advised Ni. 

“Cook with non-plastic cookware and utensils and skip the takeout container if possible. Use reusable containers for liquids such as metal or ceramic water bottles, and if you must use plastic containers, recycle them. Try to avoid using Styrofoam, as it is very difficult to break down.”

Morgan also had some guidance on cleaning plastic items. “Avoid microwaving or even dishwashing a plastic item, such as a bowl, as the heat can cause chemicals to leach,” she said.

Avoid scented products

Experts note that products that are scented tend to have a higher level of microplastics.

They recommend using unscented lotions, laundry detergents, and cleaning supplies.

They also urge people to avoid air fresheners and all plastics labeled as No. 3, No. 6, or No. 7.

Improve your overall health

Besides avoiding microplastics, experts say there are some simple ways to improve your overall health.

The first is a daily exercise routine.

“Our bodies were made to be in motion and sedentary lifestyles are a set up for chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure,” said Morgan. She also suggests monitoring your blood pressure daily.

Diet is another key component. “Work toward eating more fresh plants and fruits, and less processed and/or canned or pre-packaged foods,” she said.

Chen said an overall healthy lifestyle is the key.

“I typically recommend that people eat a healthy, balanced diet low in sodium, engage in regular physical activity, get an adequate amount of quality sleep, maintain a healthy weight, avoid alcohol and tobacco, and reduce stress,” he said.

Household Plastics Raise Cardiovascular Disease Risk: 4 Ways to Limit Exposure Read More »

Measles Could Return to Endemic Status in U.S. If Vaccination Rates Remain Low

Young child with measles
Researchers warn that measles could make a strong comeback in the next 25 years, with up to 51 million new illnesses. jure/Getty Images
  • Rising measles cases in 30 U.S. jurisdictions among mostly unvaccinated individuals have caused alarm among public health officials.
  • A new research projection estimates that if vaccination rates continue to fall, there will be 11 million to upwards of 51 million new measles cases in the U.S. in the next 25 years.
  • While these projections might signal a worst-case scenario, infectious disease experts remain concerned about the long-term impacts of vaccine hesitancy.

Rising measles cases in the United States underscore the impact of low childhood vaccination rates, which have declined in recent years.

As measles cases approach 1,000, 2025 marks a 180% increase compared to all of 2024, and there are still eight months left to go.

What began as a small outbreak in a Mennonite community in West Texas in January spread to at least 30 U.S. jurisdictions by the end of April. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 97% of measles cases are in unvaccinated individuals or those whose vaccination status is unknown.

Measles was declared eliminated at the turn of the century. Now, researchers warn the disease could make a strong comeback in the next 25 years, with up to 51 million new illnesses if vaccination rates fall below 50%.

The projection, published April 24 in JAMA, predicts that measles could become endemic in the United States. Even with as little as a 10% decline in vaccination rates, the researchers project upward of 11 million cases over 25 years. The research model also forecast the return of other infectious diseases like polio and diphtheria.

Measles is endemic in other countries, meaning outbreaks occur regularly within communities. Still, even a disease with endemic status could prove deadly for high risk groups, particularly unvaccinated individuals and immunocompromised people who cannot receive the highly effective measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

“Measles is in the midst of a substantial resurgence in the United States at the present time,” said William Schaffner, MD, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases in the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

“Before we had the vaccine, measles killed 400 to 500 [people] in the United States each year because of complications. Until recently, that number was zero. The facts are clear — the measles vaccine is safe and effective.”

Healthline spoke with Schaffner to find out how concerned people should be about measles returning to endemic status in the United States and what can be done to help reverse current trends.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

Could the JAMA study projections become a reality?

Schaffner: I think it’s a worst-case scenario. It’s possible, but it won’t get that bad. 

That said, there are many communities in which vaccination rates have drifted down to 90% or even lower. In some communities, they’re very low, and we could continue to have outbreaks in those communities. 

As we see in West Texas, this is now a very prolonged, even accelerating outbreak because there has been a very large community that is under-vaccinated. 

So yes, we could lose our elimination status, but I don’t think it will be as bad as this worst-case scenario suggests. That is not to say I don’t think it’s awful — it is definitely alarming.

What would happen if measles became endemic?

Schaffner: What we are seeing now will be expanded, namely clusters of measles around the country, as the virus is reintroduced into those communities where there is a very low vaccination rate, and then you’ll get bursts of measles in that community. 

Fortunately, previous measles infection and vaccination provide very secure protection. 

Relatively few people who’ve been previously vaccinated will become infected. So, we will have barriers of previously vaccinated folks and older people who were infected with the virus, which will confine measles to those under-vaccinated populations.

Could we learn to live with measles like we’ve learned to live with COVID-19?

Schaffner: I hesitate to say that we would have to learn to live with it, because that’s a profoundly sad prospect. 

The short answer is yes, and it will continue to occur in bursts because there will be many communities in the United States where vaccination levels will remain very, very high, well above 90%. That’s because those are communities where parents will conform to ‘no shots, no school’ policies, and you will get very high vaccination levels, as we have had in the past.

However, there are communities sometimes defined by a social phenomenon or a religious affiliation, for example, where vaccination rates are very low in that localized community.

One of the consequences of having these pockets of susceptible children is that when the virus enters those populations, the children will tend to be older than they were in the bad old days when they got measles, because they’ve been protected. They’ve had to wait for the virus to be introduced.

And you’ll have many more adolescents, for example, who’ve never experienced measles. 

Complications occur at any age, but the older you are when you acquire measles, for example, if you’re a teenager, as many of these children are now who are acquiring infection in West Texas, the more likely you are to develop one of the complications.

The JAMA projections show that other diseases could make a comeback. How likely is this scenario?

Schaffner: Everything depends on how broadly parents withhold their children from vaccination. Some parents are very selective, withholding only this or that vaccine; others withhold their children from all vaccines. 

The broader the withholding, the more likely it is that one of these viruses will be reintroduced into the United States among susceptible persons. 

As you know, we had a big polio scare in the suburbs of New York a few years ago, and we had one paralytic case in a young adult male who had never been vaccinated — and that poliovirus had been introduced from abroad. 

So, these other illnesses that are contagious but not as contagious as measles will also be reintroduced into the United States. 

Measles is at the forefront because it is the most contagious and easily transmitted. These others may take longer to appear in the United States because they are less contagious.

What can be done to reverse this trend, and are you optimistic?

Schaffner: Reality has tempered my optimism recently. It will take time to reach out to all of these populations to provide them with information and reassurance that vaccination is in the best interest of not only those individual children or your children, but also your entire community. 

There are increasingly more children, adolescents, and adults living among us who are immune suppressed, whether because of an illness or because they’re receiving immunosuppressive medication to treat an illness. These people cannot receive the measles vaccine because it’s a live, attenuated virus, and their immune system can’t fight off this virus. 

We can protect them by having all the rest vaccinated and protected, making it very hard for the virus to get past us to them. We have a responsibility not only to our children but also to those who are more frail who live among us. 

If you have any concerns, please talk to your doctor or your children’s doctor. They will be ready to talk with you about this and provide reassurance. 

We have to do this at the local level and try to influence those individual communities to, over time, change people’s attitudes and feelings and make them more welcoming to vaccines. It’s a large task.

Measles Could Return to Endemic Status in U.S. If Vaccination Rates Remain Low Read More »

Ozempic May Cause Cosmetic Side Effects Like Sagging Skin, Wrinkly Feet

Bare feet dangling over water
Recent anecdotal reports have highlighted strange side effects of GLP-1 medications used for weight loss like “Ozempic mouth” and “Ozempic feet.” Elena Popova/Getty Images
  • “Ozempic feet” and “Ozempic mouth” are the latest reported cosmetic side effects from GLP-1 medications used for weight loss.
  • Experts say wrinkles and sagging skin can result from rapid weight loss due to loss of fat and muscle mass in certain areas of the body.
  • You can minimize some of these effects by increasing protein in your diet and incorporating resistance training into your exercise routine.

You can add “Ozempic feet” and “Ozempic mouth” to the growing list of nicknames for strange and unusual side effects from popular GLP-1 medications used for weight loss.

Reports on social media and elsewhere have been highlighting “Ozempic feet,” a GLP-1 side effect resulting in excessively wrinkled feet. A recent photo of a barefoot Sharon Osbourne posted on Instagram set off a flurry of publicity.

There have also been reports of people developing “Ozempic mouth,” which results from rapid weight loss and leads to wrinkles around the mouth, sunken cheeks, and sagging jowls.

Meanwhile, “Ozempic face” describes the general hollowing of the face and an increase of wrinkles as people lose weight. There’s also the “Ozempic butt” phenomenon, which occurs when sagging skin becomes pronounced around the buttocks as a person loses weight.

While the drug Ozempic is most often pegged to these nicknames, the side effects can also be present with other injectable weight loss medications such as Wegovy, Zepbound, and Mounjaro.

Experts say the side effects aren’t a result of the medications themselves, but rather, are byproducts of rapid weight loss. They also note that these side effects are cosmetic and usually not a danger to a person’s health.

Still, these effects can be minimized through modifications in diet and exercise. People could also try to lose weight at a slower pace to help reduce some of these effects.

“You need a team to follow you and help you,” said Dan Azagury, MD, FACS, an associate professor of surgery and the section chief of Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery at Stanford University.

“Get some support and do this in the right way,” he told Healthline. “This is not a sprint. Slow and steady wins this race.”

Side effects of rapid weight loss

Experts say wrinkles and sagging skin may sometimes occur after weight loss because of the loss of fat and the reduction in muscle mass throughout the body.

“Any kind of significant weight loss can have a dramatic change in body habitus and appearance,” said Mir Ali, MD, a general surgeon, bariatric surgeon, and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in California.

“We see the same kind of changes after surgical weight loss as well, so it is more an effect of weight loss, rather than directly because of the medication,” he told Healthline.

Nidhi Pandya, an Ayurvedic doctor, holistic practitioner, and author of the book “Your Body Already Knows,” said people should know the benefits and downsides of weight loss medications.

“While these drugs are highly effective for lowering appetite and improving glycemic control, they also accelerate weight loss in a way that can have systemic consequences,” Pandya told Healthline.

She lists some of the side effects as:

  • loss of lean body mass
  • altered gut microbiome
  • micronutrient deficiencies
  • impaired tissue repair

“My advice is to approach these medications as serious metabolic interventions, to be used after a thoughtful evaluation of risks and benefits,” said Pandya.

Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RDN, the president of KAK Consulting and a dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic Department of Wellness & Preventive Medicine in Ohio, agreed it’s important to plan your weight loss journey carefully.

“Yes, side effects of rapid weight loss can and do happen, but working with a healthcare provider and focusing on going above and beyond just taking the shot can help,” she told Healthline.

How to minimize side effects like ‘Ozempic feet’

Experts say you can counter these natural side effects through dedicated practices involving diet and exercise.

“Many of these side effects can be minimized by supporting the body’s physiology and metabolism with targeted lifestyle strategies,” said Pandya.

Among her suggestions are:

  • consuming at least 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day
  • limiting snacks and meal frequency
  • starting meals with fermented foods and high fiber vegetables
  • stress management through techniques such as mindfulness and breath work
  • structured sleep

“While [these drugs] are powerful pharmacologic tools, the bedrock of metabolic health remains in intelligent, science-backed lifestyle strategies that support the body’s natural signaling and repair mechanisms,” said Pandya.

Kirkpatrick suggested increasing protein intake to help maintain lean muscle mass. She recommended adding protein to every meal and snack and taking a supplement such as creatine HCL.

“I tell my patients that when you are on these drugs you have to get nutritional bang for every bite,” said Kirkpatrick. “The mechanism of these drugs leads to a reduced intake of food and, therefore, you can’t really afford to consume foods that provide no nutritional benefit.”

Kirkpatrick added that resistance training be added to an exercise routine.

“Cardio is great and has many benefits, but resistance training can specifically help with muscle mass,” she said.

Ali noted it’s important to remember the purpose of weight loss programs.

“People taking medication for weight loss or even undergoing surgery should realize the goal is to achieve a healthy weight to minimize obesity-related health conditions and achieve a normal lifespan,” he said.

What to know about GLP-1 drugs drugs

Losing weight is inherently a difficult task.

First, the body may need to store fat for various physiological reasons, including organ protection, hormone regulation, and nutrient absorption.

Azagury noted that the human body is also programmed to retain some fat in case of food shortages. “Your body is designed to avoid weight loss,” he said. “You’re fighting tens of thousands of years of evolution when you try to lose weight.”

He added that modern techniques, such as bariatric surgery and new weight loss medications, can make weight reduction a little easier.

“There is no hierarchy in how we lose weight,” Azagury said. “There is no better or worse way.”

Ozempic and Wegovy are injectable medications containing the active ingredient semaglutide. Ozempic is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy is approved for weight loss and management.

Mounjaro and Zepbound are injectable drugs that contain the active ingredient trizepatide. The FDA approves Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, while Zepbound is used for weight management.

All these drugs work in the same basic way by suppressing a person’s appetite. They do have some potential side effects. Some of the more common are:

  • nausea
  • diarrhea
  • constipation
  • abdominal pain

These medications have been shown in clinical trials to help people with obesity and other weight management issues lose weight effectively. People who are prescribed these drugs are advised to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The medications have also been credited with other beneficial health effects such as:

  • blood sugar control
  • improving cardiovascular health
  • lowering kidney disease risk
  • improving cognitive abilities

Experts say lifestyle changes are important. So is developing a weight loss program under the supervision of a medical professional.

Kirkpatrick advised developing a strategy to eventually stop using the weight loss drugs.

“You should begin thinking about the off ramp when jumping onto the on ramp,” she said. “This means — begin planning how you get off the drugs (if this is the plan) once you meet your weight and metabolic goals.”

“Ozempic and Zepbound are appropriate for select individuals, but everyone can engage their body’s innate metabolic wisdom by adopting evidence-based lifestyle interventions, resulting in more durable, holistic health,” added Pandya.

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