Sustainable Weight Loss
Have you heard the buzz about the latest “miracle drug” for weight loss? Headlines are screaming about rapid results, but is this truly the answer to achieving lasting health? At Reisaan Health, led by Dr. Roshani Sanghani, a leading endocrinologist, we believe in a different approach – one that prioritizes long-term well-being over temporary fixes.
In this article, Dr. Sanghani sheds light on the limitations of these quick-fix solutions and unveils the key to sustainable weight management: addressing the root causes.
Here are Dr Roshani’s thoughts on a few related topics:
The recent surge in weight-loss medications
“I could make you wear a life jacket and put you in a pool, but, to call yourself a swimmer, you will need to learn how to swim without it. Swimming without the vest is an entirely different skill.
Similarly, you may lose weight while you are on a drug. But, learning to maintain the weight loss is a new skill that you will have to learn when you are no longer consuming it. We are being told that as soon as you stop taking it, the weight piles back on within two years. This implies that for sustainable weight loss, one needs to be on it forever. So, if there’s no exit strategy, why will I put you on it? Based on my professional practice, I can tell you that if I don’t think it’s good for you three years from now, I’m not going to give it to you.”
Known and potential side effects
“We don’t have long-term data about what is going to happen to these consumers of the drug if they take it for 10 to 15 years,” says Sanghani, as she enlists the side effects of semaglutide use that are categorized as rare. “Pancreatitis, thyroid cancer, kidney damage, muscle loss, paralysis of the stomach and the small intestine, and regurgitation of stomach contents into the lungs during surgery. The muscles and pancreas are important metabolic organs, and these medicines cause them to become inflamed. We don’t know how rare these side effects are. Considering the rate of obesity, open these drugs to large populations of people and you’re going to see those rare ailments appear more frequently. I have been prescribing certain diabetic drugs since 2006 and in all these years, I’ve seen only one person with severe pancreatitis; their pancreas was fully damaged. But, I have seen at least five to 10 people who have had mild pancreatic inflammation while being on these drugs. And I only learned that they were affected after I got them tested for it. So, we’ll never know how many people are walking around with mild cases of pancreatic inflammation.”
Muscle Loss vs. Weight Loss
“That’s not accurate. There are many things that we should be doing to help people with obesity. But, is semaglutide the best way to do it? If you are going to lose 10 kilos while consuming it, the chances are that almost half of that weight loss is brought about by the loss of muscle mass. Muscle mass is directly connected to longevity. Would I be willing to put such a prescription on a piece of paper that causes somebody to lose muscle mass when I know that muscle is life-saving? Of course not.”