Health
Ozempic ‘microdosing’ is the new weight-loss trend: Should you try it?
A new trend gaining popularity among people trying to lose weight is microdosing the diabetes medication Ozempic.
With approximately 70% of American adults meeting the criteria for being obese or overweight, more people are turning to weight loss medications to help them shed pounds.
Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, while its counterpart, Wegovy, is approved for treating obesity. Both are made by Novo Nordisk.
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Eli Lilly also offers a diabetes medication, Mounjaro, as well as a version for weight loss, Zepbound.
In a new trend, some people are using smaller daily “microdoses” of Ozempic, doctors report. (iStock)
“Ozempic is the only version among the weekly injectables — Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and Mounjaro — that has the option to ‘hack’ the pen for a smaller dose,” Dr. Alexandra Sowa, an obesity medicine specialist and founder of SoWell in New York, told Fox News Digital.
She is also the author of the book “The Ozempic Revolution” that is set to be released on Jan. 7.
Fox News Digital spoke to the experts to get the skinny on this latest trend.
What is microdosing?
Microdosing Ozempic refers to using smaller amounts compared to the standard therapeutic doses that are traditionally prescribed for managing type 2 diabetes and aiding weight loss, experts say.
This practice is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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“Health care clinicians do not typically recommend this approach, as the standard dosing regimen is based on clinical trials determining the most effective and safe amount for these conditions,” noted Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, obesity medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
There are no established guidelines for microdosing – although there are reports on social media of using 10 to 100 times lower than standard prescriptions, added Dr. Christopher McGowan, a gastroenterologist and obesity specialist who runs True You Weight Loss in Cary, North Carolina.
“Health care clinicians do not typically recommend this approach.”
Some people get confused by the terminology, the doctors noted.
“I think there’s a little bit of a misconception, as some people say ‘I’m microdosing’ when they’re just on the starting doses or don’t go all the way up in the escalation titration dosing of the medication,” Sowa said.
Benefits of microdosing
The primary reason for microdosing is to reduce costs, according to McGowan.
For example, he said, a patient might think that if a full prescription costs over $250 per week, they may be able to achieve some benefit with just $25 worth of the medication.
With approximately 70% of American adults meeting the criteria for being obese or overweight, more people are turning to weight loss medications to help them shed pounds. (iStock)
The average monthly retail price of Ozempic ranges from $1,000 or more without insurance, per GoodRx.
People may also pursue microdosing to reduce the incidence or severity of side effects such as nausea, vomiting or stomach discomfort, according to Stanford.
“Some individuals might start with microdoses to gradually acclimate their body to the medication, potentially easing into the full therapeutic dose over time,” she said.
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Any potential benefit of the medication, however, will likely wane proportionally with lower doses, experts noted.
Individuals may also microdose due to supply challenges, according to Dr. Amy Rothberg, clinical professor of medicine in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes at the University of Michigan.
“Some individuals might start with microdoses to gradually acclimate their body to the medication, potentially easing into the full therapeutic dose over time.” (iStock)
“Some feel they may derive a benefit from microdosing by being able to extend their supply and may perceive an effect,” Rothberg, who is also the medical director of Rewind, a lifestyle program for type 2 diabetes patients, told Fox News Digital. “As we know, the placebo effect may have a strong impact.”
Potential risks of the practice
The most likely risk of microdosing is a lack of effectiveness, McGowan noted.
“Microdosing Ozempic or other [weight-loss] medications is entirely off-label and unproven, with no supporting clinical studies,” he cautioned.
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Stanford also warned that smaller doses may not provide adequate blood sugar management, leading to uncontrolled diabetes and associated complications.
It can also lead to suboptimal weight loss and unpredictable results, as well as the potential for misuse, she added.
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People who microdose often use a “compounded” version of the medication, which the FDA does not regulate.
“This introduces risks such as contamination, inconsistent formulations and uncertainty about the actual strength of the product being injected,” McGowan stated.
Without changes to diet and physical activity patterns, the long-term benefits will disappear once the drug is stopped, one doctor noted. (iStock)
Additionally, these compounded versions are usually dispensed in vials, which requires a syringe to draw it up, in contrast to the FDA-approved versions that are simpler to use.
Using the compounded versions through vials runs the risk of drawing up too much medication — so instead of microdosing, it’s possible to macrodose, Sowa warned.
Medical supervision is key
Some providers are still comfortable offering microdosing for select patients with one caveat — that people should always consult a health care clinician before altering their medication regimen.
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“As long as it is being dispensed and monitored by a physician, I don’t see how anybody is going to overdose, especially when we are giving such small amounts,” Dr. Suzanne A. Trott, a double board-certified plastic and general surgeon in Beverly Hills, told Fox News Digital.
“I have seen a lot of patients who are given metformin for weight loss — I don’t see how this is any different,” said Trott, who runs her own microdosing clinic.
Trott pointed out that there are many “off-label” practices offered to patients.
“Botox and fillers are not even FDA-approved for most of the places we use them,” she noted.
“Some individuals might start with microdoses to gradually acclimate their body to the medication.”
Experts agree that sustained weight loss will not occur with medication alone.
“I think people find that it’s easier to take a drug, but neglect concomitant behavioral changes,” Rothberg said.
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In the absence of changes to diet and physical activity patterns, the long-term benefits will disappear once the drug is stopped, she noted.
Trott also recommends maintaining consistent exercise, strength training, hydration and high protein intake to maintain muscle mass.
Fox News Digital reached out to Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic, for comment.
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Eating too much salt has long been linked to high blood pressure, but new research suggests it could trick the immune system into prematurely aging the blood vessels.
A preclinical study recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has identified a biological chain reaction that links a salty diet to cardiovascular decay.
Scientists at the University of South Alabama observed that mice on a high-salt diet experienced rapid deterioration in their blood vessel function.
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After just four weeks of high sodium intake, the small arteries responsible for regulating blood flow lost their ability to relax, according to a press release.
The team found that the cells lining these vessels had entered a state of cellular senescence, a form of premature cellular aging in which cells stop dividing and release a mix of inflammatory signals that can damage surrounding tissue.
Excess salt has long been linked to high blood pressure, but a new study goes deeper into its effects on the cardiovascular system. (iStock)
The researchers tried to replicate this damage by exposing blood vessel cells directly to salt in a laboratory dish, but the cells showed no harmful effects.
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This suggests that salt isn’t directly causing damage to the vascular lining but that the real culprit may be the body’s own defense mechanism, the researchers noted.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16 (IL-16), which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16, which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study. (iStock)
Once these cells age, they fail to produce nitric oxide, the essential gas that tells arteries to dilate and stay flexible.
To test whether this process could be reversed, the team turned to a class of experimental drugs known as senolytics.
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Using a cancer medication called navitoclax, which selectively clears out aged and dysfunctional cells, the researchers were able to restore nearly normal blood vessel function in the salt-fed mice, the release stated.
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By removing the decaying cells created by the high-salt diet, the drug allowed the remaining healthy tissue to maintain its elasticity and respond correctly to blood flow demands.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system into stopping the cells from dividing, the study suggests. (iStock)
The study did have some limitations. The transition from mouse models to human treatment remains a significant hurdle, the team cautioned.
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Senolytic drugs like navitoclax are still being studied for safety, and the team emphasized that previous trials have shown mixed results regarding their impact on artery plaque.
Additionally, the researchers have not yet confirmed whether the same IL-16 pathway is the primary driver of vascular aging in humans.
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Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables was found to have a surprising link to lung cancer among younger non-smokers, early research suggests.
The observational study, led by Jorge Nieva, M.D., of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at Keck Medicine, was presented this month at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting in San Diego. It has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Researchers looked at dietary, smoking and demographic data for 187 patients who were diagnosed with lung cancer at age 50 or younger.
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They found that among non-smokers, there was a link between healthier-than-average diets – rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains – and the chance of lung cancer development.
Young lung cancer patients ate more servings of dark green vegetables, legumes and whole grains compared to the average U.S. adult, the researchers found.
Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables was found to have a surprising link to lung cancer among younger non-smokers, early research suggests. (iStock)
The researchers hypothesized that pesticides applied to conventionally grown produce could be a possible factor in the disease association.
“Commercially produced (non-organic) fruits, vegetables and whole grains are more likely to be associated with a higher residue of pesticides than dairy, meat and many processed foods,” according to Nieva. He also noted that agricultural workers exposed to pesticides tend to have higher rates of lung cancer.
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“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking,” Nieva told Fox News Digital.
The disease is becoming more common in non-smokers 50 and younger, especially women – despite the fact that smoking rates have been falling for decades, the researcher noted.
The researchers hypothesized that pesticides applied to conventionally grown produce could be a possible factor in the disease association. (iStock)
“These patients tend to have eaten much healthier diets before their diagnosis than the average American,” he went on. “We need to support research into understanding why Americans – and women in particular – who no longer smoke very much are still having lung cancer,” he said.
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The study did have some limitations, Nieva acknowledged, primarily that it relied on survey data and was limited by the participants’ memories of their food intake.
“Also, the survey participants were self-selected, and this could have biased the findings,” he told Fox News Digital.
“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking.”
The researchers did not test specific foods for pesticides, relying instead on average pesticide levels for certain types of food. Looking ahead, they plan to test patients’ blood and urine samples to directly measure pesticide levels, Nieva said.
Although the study shows only an association and does not prove that pesticides caused lung cancer, Nieva recommends that people wash their produce before eating and choose organic foods whenever possible.
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“This work represents a critical step toward identifying modifiable environmental factors that may contribute to lung cancer in young adults,” said Nieva. “Our hope is that these insights can guide both public health recommendations and future investigation into lung cancer prevention.”
“It is possible that the increased lung cancer risk could be due to pesticide exposure in whole farmed foods, but is by no means certain,” a doctor said. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said the study is “interesting,” but that it “raises far more questions than it answers.”
“It is a small study (around 150) and observational, so no proof,” the doctor, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.
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“It is possible that the increased lung cancer risk could be due to pesticide exposure in whole farmed foods, but it is by no means certain,” Siegel went on. “How much exposure is needed? How much of it gets into food and in which areas? This requires much further study.”
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Kayla Nichols, communications director for Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network, a distributed global network, said the organization agrees with the study’s conclusion that more research should be done on the rise in lung cancer, particularly in individuals eating diets higher in produce and fiber.
“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking,” the researcher told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“There is a bounty of existing research that already links pesticide exposure to increased risk of multiple types of cancers,” Nichols, who was also not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. She called for more research on chronic, low-level exposures to pesticides, as well as more effective policies to protect the public from pesticide residues on food.
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The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, as well as industry partners including AstraZeneca and Genentech, among others.
Fox News Digital reached out to several pesticide companies and trade groups for comment.
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