- James Corden said Ozympic didn’t help him lose weight because he just doesn’t eat when he’s hungry.
- Ozempic, the brand name for the drug semaglutide, works by suppressing appetite.
- But Ozympic doesn’t address or change the root cause of eating behavior, experts say.
James Corden talked about his experience using Ozympic, a diabetes drug that has become a household name over the past few years due to its success as an obesity treatment.
Speaking on the latest episode of his SiriusXM podcast, “This Life of Mine with James Corden,” the British comedian and actor, 46, said he tried taking Ozympic to lose weight — but it seems he He did not receive the same benefit. Other high profile users of weight loss pills like Elon Musk.
The former “The Late Late Show” host said Ozympic, which works by suppressing appetite, didn’t have much of an effect on him because of his complicated relationship with food.
“I tried Ozympic, and it won’t surprise you when you look at me now, that it didn’t really work,” he said, to the crowd. “I tried it for a while and then what I realized was that I was like, ‘Oh no, nothing about my diet has anything to do with hunger.'”
“All it does is keep you from feeling hungry,” he continued. He added that he “eats very little” just because he feels hungry.
He added: “You see someone who has eaten a king size – and when I say king size dairy milk, you’re giving it to someone for Christmas – at the car wash.” “None of it was like: ‘Oh, I’m so hungry.’ It’s not that, it’s something else.”
The active ingredient in Ozympic is semaglutide, an injectable drug that helps people feel full by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone. Brand names for the drug, such as Ozympic and Vigo, have increased in popularity in recent years.
Common side effects of taking the drug include nausea and diarrhea, while some people may regain weight after stopping treatment.
Ozympic does not address or change the underlying cause of an eating behavior
For those who have a very complicated relationship with food and may struggle with emotional eating, Ozympic may not be the answer.
Briana Parolo, a licensed psychotherapist based in New York, told Business Insider that since Ozympic works primarily by suppressing appetite and slowing digestion, it won’t help someone with an eating disorder. It stems from an underlying emotional problem.
“For those who use food as an emotional coping tool, simply reducing physical hunger (as Ozympic does) does not address the root cause of their eating behavior,” Parolo said.
“Emotional eating is a complex behavior that often has little to do with physical hunger symptoms. It’s a coping mechanism to manage emotions, stress, or past trauma,” she added.
Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy. UCG
Emotional eating can also lead to eating disorders such as binge eating.
Noting that semaglutide was initially developed to treat type 2 diabetes, which is a metabolic disorder, Sarah Bass, a clinical psychiatrist and director at the Balance Rehabilitation Clinic, said that Ozempic and other similar drugs “are our most Capable of disrupting the delicate metabolic system.”
“Taking it risks worsening the underlying issue that the individual is experiencing with their eating disorder,” Bass said.
She added: “It’s important to address the root cause of emotional eating with a mental health professional in order to slowly adapt to new behaviors rather than going for the quick-fix solution that everyone in modern society is looking for right now. are in.”
Parullo advised that those who struggle with emotional or binge eating may be better off using a combination of mental health support, nutritional counseling and other medical care to meet their weight loss goals.
Doctors have also warned against using weight loss drugs such as Ozempic as a “quick fix”.
England’s National Health Service (NHS) medical director Stephen Powis said in June that while such drugs would be “a powerful part of our arsenal in the fight against obesity,” they should not be misused.
“Drugs including Ozympic and Vigovi should only be used by people who have been prescribed them for obesity or diabetes. I am concerned about reports that people are abusing them – it is too soon for people who Not as a solution to trying to provide a beach body,” he added.