Medics have issued a warning about eating a popular food if you're taking Ozempic.
In case you've been living under a rock, Ozempic is a medication that helps to bring down a person's blood sugar levels.
It's primarily used for those with type 2 diabetes, but many people, including celebrities, have been using it - or similar weight loss jabs such as Wegovy - to drop the pounds.
With the use of Ozempic increasing in the last few years, doctors have been warning against some of the side effects reported by those using the drug.
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For example, a number of celebrities have spoken about their experiences, with the likes of Jeremy Clarkson explaining he suffered from severe nausea, while Amy Schumer reported vomiting.
Now, medics have explained that eating certain foods while taking Ozempic can increase the chance of 'Ozempic burps'.
What are 'Ozempic burps'?
Over on WebMD, an article reviewed by one doctor, Shruthi N, MD, explains that Ozempic can have some gastrointestinal side effects, including Ozempic burps, caused by a build-up of sulphur.
"When your digestion slows down with Ozempic, sulphur can build up in your gut and cause your burps to smell and taste like rotten eggs. You might hear them called Ozempic burps or sulphur burps," the article explains.
Laura Davisson, the director of medical weight management at West Virginia University Health Sciences, told the Atlantic in 2023 that around a fifth of her clinic's 1,000 patients on a GLP-1 receptor agonist like Ozempic experienced sulphur burps, but they tended to go away after a few months.
New York obesity specialist Holly Lofton, meanwhile, said only two percent of her patients experienced the side effect.
How do you stop 'Ozempic burps'?
WebMD advises: "If you get a case of Ozempic burps, you can try to cut back on sulphur-rich foods. But you can’t cut them out completely. A lot of foods contain sulphur, and it’s a nutrient you need."
Foods high in sulphur include some pretty common staples, such as garlic and onion.
Others include:
- Cruciferous vegetables, for example broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts and kale
- Dried fruits
- Red meat
- Fish
- Eggs
To aid with this, WebMD recommend drinking lots of water, adding probiotics to your diet or trying green, ginger, peppermint or chamomile tea.
Pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk - which manufacturers the drug - told LADbible: "Wegovy (semaglutide injection) and Ozempic (semaglutide injection) are prescription only medicines and require a healthcare professional to prescribe under strict supervision. Treatment decisions should be made together with a healthcare provider who can evaluate the appropriateness of using a GLP-1 based on assessment of a patient’s individual medical profile.
"Patient safety is of the utmost importance to Novo Nordisk. We continuously collect safety data on our marketed GLP-1 RA medicines and work closely with the authorities to ensure patient safety. As part of this work we continue to monitor reports of adverse drug reactions through routine pharmacovigilance.
"Regarding safety, the most common adverse events among people treated with Ozempic (semaglutide injection) for its indicated use, are gastrointestinal events including nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting. Most events were transient, and mild or moderate in severity and resolved without permanent treatment discontinuation.
"We recommend that any patients experiencing side effects while taking GLP receptor agonists including Wegovy or Ozempic report them to their healthcare provider and via the MHRA Yellow Card scheme: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/."
In case you've been wondering, a recent video by Zack D Films has revealed how the drug works to reduce fat in the body.
"Once Ozempic is in your bloodstream, it activates the parts of the brain that make you feel full, reducing your appetite," Zack explains in the clip.
"It also stabilises your blood sugar, stopping sudden cravings. Then it slows down how fast your stomach empties food, which keeps you feeling full for longer after a meal.
"This causes you to lose weight as you eat less. But it can make some people feel sick and even give them diarrhoea."
LADbible has reached out to pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk - which manufactures the drug - for comment.
Topics: Ozempic, Food And Drink, Health
Lucy Devine