Weight loss jabs such as Ozempic could banish depression and make you happier, a study claims
WEIGHT loss jabs could banish blues as well as bellies, a study claims.
People taking the injections showed 'significantly improved' emotional wellbeing in trials.
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Weight loss jabs could banish blues as well as bellies
Credit: Getty
Experts at the University of Bern in Switzerland reviewed 36 studies on a total of 26,000 people to check the impact of the medication.
They found that drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro had 'beneficial effects' on depression and bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
The study, presented at the European Congress on Obesity, found no link between the jabs and new mental health problems or thoughts about self-harm or suicide.
Study author Dr Sigrid Breit said they 'exert a positive effect on mental state and quality of life.'
Depression and other disorders have been linked to low-grade swelling in the brain, which the drugs may help to bring down.
Dr Breit said: 'They may have antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects due to their anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce inflammation in the brain.
'These results are particularly important for people with severe mental disorders, who are three times more likely to be living with obesity than the general population.
'Future studies should explore whether these medications might be useful for the direct treatment of mental health disorders.'
Dr Ed Beveridge, of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: 'We know that many people with mental illness have weight management issues.
'It is crucial that they are regarded as a priority group for access to this medication where appropriate.'
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BBC News
37 minutes ago
- BBC News
How weight loss injections dey affect pregnancy and contraceptives?
Di UK medicines regulator don warn women wey dey use weight loss injections say make dem find beta contraception use. Di Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) say e neva clear weda medicine like Wefgovy and Mounjaro fit affect belle. E also warn say dis injections wey you dey see so fit make di contraceptives to no work as e dey work for pipo wey dey overweight or obese. Fear dey say wit di way wey dis 'skinny jabs' dem dey trend, plenti women no dey use drugs safely or even get beta advice as to how dem go use am. Di thinking be say di side effects of dis medication wey be vomiting and diarrhoea and di fact say dem dey slow down di way belle dey take empty mean say di contraceptive medicine fit no enta bodi well. Di MHRA say women suppose use contraceptive togeda wit GLP-1 medicines and for a certain period afterwards before dem try to get belle - two months for Wegovy and Ozempic, and one month for Mounjaro. Dem also advice say pesin wey dey use Mounjaro and oral contraceptives get two options. Either dem go follow di contraception wit condoms for four weeks afta dem start di injection or else make dem change contraception go coil or implant. Advice for di use of contraception alreadi dey di leaflet wey dey follow di medicine but MHRA don issue dia own guidance join. Di drugs safety board say make pesin no take di weight-loss injections if: Dem suppose dey give women dis informate wen dem start to dey collect di injections, but worry dey say di warning no dey enta well. Natasha Major, 26, start to use Mounjaro to lose weight bifor she plan to born her third pikin in a few years. But e shock am as just six weeks later, she find out say, she don carry belle. She bin dey take contraceptive pill dat time. She tok say, "I get polycystic ovaries too, so I no dey quick-quick get belle like dat. So e even shock me pass say e easy to carry belle like dat, bicos e no make sense to me." She den start to dey worry about weda she go harm her pikin or weda di baby no go grow well. Natasha come follow her doctor tok for advice and na so dem tell am, make she stop di medicine. She say, "we don pass di first shock nand now dey very happy. Di last time wey I take di injection na just three hours bifor I find out say I don carry belle and I neva take am since dat time." Natasha add say, "I bin do early scan to make sure say di belle make sense and e dey okay, baby bin get small heartbeat and evritin dey good". Di MHRA and doctors and pharmacists dey worry say dem no dey use di popular GLP-1 medicine like Wegovy, Mounjaro, Saxenda, Victoza and Ozempic, safely. Dis prescription medicines dey licensed to treat obesity (and type 2 diabetes for Ozempic). E dey make pipo to feel full by acting as di hormone wey bodi dey release afta pesin don chop. Mounjaro dey also work wit anoda hormone wey dey linked to appetite and blood sugar control. Normally, na pipo wey get very high BMI, na im NHS dey give di drugs but pipo fit buy am for chemists. E don popular sotay dem don dey sell am illegally for social media and for beauty saons witout medical advice as sharp-sharp way to lose weight. Di MHRA dey advise pipo make dem follow di prescriber tok about di risks and benefits of taking dem, and understand di potential side-effects by talking to a doctor or pharmacist. E don act now because e don receive around 40 reports relating to pregnancy wey dem make to im Yellow Card scheme, wia di public fit report suspected side-effects of medicines. Some of dis be pregnancies wey hapun by mistake. Di chief safety officer for di MHRA, Dr Allison Cave tok say dem find evidence for animal studies say, "dis medicine dem fit harm unborn pikin. But we no know weda e go get di same effect for human beings, we need more data for dat one". Dem no use women wey dey child bearing age do dis clinical trial and na why safety information no dey for dem. Dr Cave say if pesin get belle and dem dey take di medicine, make dem follow dia doctor tok on how to stop am as soon as possible. Di vice chairwoman for di National Pharmacy Association, Sukhi Basra tok say make women go pharmacist for advice if dem dey confused as to wen dem suppose to stop to dey take di drugs. Dr Bassel Wattar wey be sabi pesin on pregnancy and consultant for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals, say di implant or intrauterine coil na "more ogbonge contraception" dan oral combined contraceptive pill while pesin dey take di injections. For some women, to lose plenti weight fit help some women to get back dia natural ovulation and boost dia chance to get belle but e tok say dis kain tin, need planning safely wit specialist doctors "so di pregnancy go dey safe afta washout period of dis drugs". Di British Pregnancy Advisory Service, tok say women for UK, dey face ogbonge challenges wen dem dey try access dia contraceptive method of choice. Lack of appointments, long waiting lists and high costs na just some of di kasala dem dey face, according to di BPAS. Dis na as dem dey ask for beta plan to provide dis choices dem for women.
Sky News
38 minutes ago
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Weight loss jabs - what else don't we know?
👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈 The government's health agency, the MHRA, is warning women that they shouldn't use weight loss jabs while pregnant and that the drugs can also affect the reliability of the pill, which has led to a rise in so-called "Ozempic babies". On today's Sky News Daily Niall Paterson talks to Dr Nikita Kanani, a GP and former medical director for primary care at NHS England, about the risks, whether there are other concerns about using them and if there should be tighter restrictions on online sales of the jabs.
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an hour ago
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Katie Price gives update on Harvey's weight loss jabs after revealing he weighs almost 30st
KATIE Price has revealed son Harvey will "hopefully" start weight loss injections this week in an attempt to save his life. The former glamour model is worried about the disabled 22-year-old's health after his weight reached 30st. 5 5 Katie, 47, gave her fans an update on Harvey's weight loss journey on her podcast, The Katie Price Show, which she hosts with her sister, Sophie. Revealing her plans for the weekend, she said Harvey will be joining her on Saturday when she performs at Portsmouth Pride. Katie then added: "Hopefully Harvey starts his Mounjaro this week, but we'll talk about that next week and I'll go through all of what's happening about that." The mum-of-five previously opened up on how Harvey's life was at risk because of his size. The TV personality's eldest child has Prader-Willi syndrome, which sparks a constant desire to eat food and a permanent feeling of hunger which leads to obesity. In a video posted in April, Katie revealed: 'I'm so heartbroken and gutted that his weight is just going up. 'I just googled it in stones, 188kg is just a few kg of being 30 stone. 'It's so life-threatening now, I'm still waiting for the doctors to get back to me starting on the mounjaro and his journey to a healthy life.' She continued: 'It's so sad his quality of life at the moment where he's so big, he just can't really do much. Katie Price drops huge hint daughter Princess Andre is in talks for Love Island after boyfriend split 'It's just another thing I have to deal with because he's at high risk of having a heart attack, he struggles to put his trainers or struggles to walk anywhere but I love him and I'm going to help him through this. 'So sad, obesity and his condition is sad, it's sad to see someone go through it and he doesn't understand.' 5 Everything you need to know about fat jabs Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases. Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK. Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. Are there any risks? Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health. Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines. In February Katie told The Sun she consulted top doctors who suggested starting Harvey on the jabs in a bid to improve his chances of living longer. Harvey's biological dad is former footballer Dwight, 53, dated for a short period between 2000 and 2001, but split shortly after Katie told him she was pregnant. 5 5
