Heston Blumenthal warns weight loss drugs will be bad for food industry
'So what's going to happen is people are going to want smaller portions.
'Supermarkets are going to be hit massively. I even heard in the news that airplanes are going to save lots of money because of the weight loss,' he told Times Radio.
He said he believes the issue is 'going to get much worse in the next six months'.
He also told host Jane Mulkerrins he is taking Wegovy to combat the effects of his bipolar medication.
'I've put on so much weight,' he said.
He said Wegovy is helping him lose weight, describing it as a 'paradox' given he is a restaurateur.
Blumenthal, who presented Channel 4 shows Heston's Fantastical Food and Heston's Feasts, was sectioned following a manic episode and given a diagnosis of bipolar disorder in November 2023.
He has since spoken widely of learning to live with the condition, and was the subject of BBC documentary Heston: My Life With Bipolar, which was broadcast in June.
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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Urgent warning to Scots parents over high-strength nicotine pouches being sold to children disguised as sweets
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Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
I'm proof 'Ozempic penis' exists — weight loss jabs gave me a huge boost in bed
Standing in front of the mirror, James* admired his new physique. Gone was the middle-aged spread and the gut that had been expanding rapidly since Christmas. Now, he was seeing muscles he'd never noticed before and looking at least 10 years younger. But that wasn't the best bit of his transformation. As he stood stark naked looking at his reflection, James couldn't help but notice that his penis also looked bigger than usual — and it was all down to 'miracle' weight loss drug Wegovy. The 55-year-old tells Metro: 'I'm not one to jump on celebrity fads, but I needed a little bit of an extra push. Dieting is the most painful, boring thing in the world and I'd heard a lot about Ozempic, so I did a lot of research and decided to give it a go. 'If it's good enough for Sharon Osbourne, it's good enough for me.' A semi-professional sportsman of two decades, James stepped back from competing last year, and alongside the fact he no longer had fitness targets helping him stay in shape, he found himself eating – and drinking – out of boredom. Wegovy, a brand name for semaglutide, is a GLP-1 inhibitor medication that targets the parts of the brain that regulate appetite and promotes the release of insulin when blood sugar levels are high. This makes people feel fuller, reducing hunger levels and cravings for high-fat foods. Alongside Mounjaro and Saxenda, it's one of three GLP-1 drugs prescribed by the NHS specifically for weight loss (whereas Ozempic – which uses the same active ingredient as Wegovy – is only approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes) and is also available to purchase privately through specialist pharmacies. According to the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), it can help reduce the risk of heart and circulatory disease in people living with excess weight. Wegovy is self-administered weekly with an injector pen, into the upper arms, stomach, thighs or buttocks. It's not a magic cure though. Patients still need to change their diet and reduce the amount of calories eaten to see effects, and regular exercise is also recommended. Additionally, there is evidence of weight regain when people stop using Wegovy. Common side effects of semaglutide include sickness, diarrhoea or constipation, headaches, tiredness, heartburn and bloating, while rarer problems can include gallbladder disease, inflammation of the pancreas, an increased heart rate and kidney issues. Although he was still exercising daily – clocking up an impressive 1,000km every month from cycling alone – when he stepped on the scales after a particularly indulgent Christmas, he decided things needed to change. So, six months ago, James started taking Wegovy. 'I think it's a miracle drug, to be honest,' he says. Getting rid of the dangerous visceral fat around his organs was the primary motivation for changing his lifestyle, but James admits: 'Sure, I wanted to look a little better too.' It was easy to get hold of Wegovy, which is a brand name for semaglutide and works in a similar way to Ozempic (though the latter isn't approved solely for weight loss in the UK, where it's specifically prescribed for the management blood sugar in type 2 diabetes patients). After putting his details into an online pharmacy – James admits he 'lied' on the application form to make sure he qualified – a fancy package of injectables arrived in the post. Describing the process of giving himself a jab in the stomach each week, James says: 'It doesn't hurt at all – you don't even feel it.' He began to feel the effects of the drug almost straight away though, becoming full after less food and having fewer cravings. At £160 to £260 (depending on the dose) per month, it's not cheap, but James reckons he's actually saving money overall. 'My weekly shop went down by £40 or £50 easily, and that's not including wine and Deliveroos which I spent about £80 to £100 a week on,' James explains. 'I've also saved a lot on toilet paper – I only go once a day now.' Since his first injection in February, the tech business owner claims he has lost 20% of his body weight. It's not just about dropping the kilos though, as James's blood pressure and visceral fat are both now back within a healthy range – and he's even sleeping better and not snoring. 'My body is in as good a condition as it's ever been,' he continues. 'I've got muscles in my forearm I never knew were there, I've lost fat and my muscles have come out. And my thighs look ridiculous.' Some men have claimed that taking GLP-1 injections hasn't just helped them lose inches from their waist, but has also added inches to their manhood — and even improved their performance in bed. The phenomenon, which has been dubbed 'Ozempic penis' on forums like Reddit, may be due to reduced fat around the pubic region which can make the penis appear larger. Dr Nidhi Kansal, an internal medicine physician at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, tells Daily Mail these welcome side effects may also be caused by increased testosterone levels as a result of weight loss. Obesity in men has been linked to low testosterone, which can make you feel tired, lower your sex drive and impact erection quality, potentially making the penis look smaller. Losing weight (through medication or otherwise) can naturally boost the hormone, with a recent Endocrine Society report revealing a 20% rise in men being treated for obesity with GLP-1 medication. His confidence has been boosted too; a far cry from 'hibernating' at home and feeling self-conscious about his 'gut'. James (who is single and says he's 'blessed' to have never been married), adds: 'I look in the mirror and think, 'F*** me, I look good' these days.' Others have been equally complimentary about the newfound spring in his step too, and his exes remarking 'wow' when they see him now is a welcome consequence. Some people find their sex drive drops on semaglutide, as it can decrease the amount of dopamine (the pleasure neurotransmitter) released by more than just eating. Not for James, though, who says he's having 'better sex' as a result of the drug. 'If you have an impulsive drive for sex, it would affect that,' he explains. 'But I have a normal sexual appetite, so actually it's made me enjoy sex more because I'm not as self-conscious of my body and I've got more energy.' Apparently, Wegovy has also made an impact down below, and any fears people might have about it causing penis shrinkage are unfounded. 'If anything, my penis looks bigger, because you lose body fat around it and your overall mass gets smaller,' James says with a smile. 'It's like when you shave your bush and it makes it look bigger.' Nonetheless, he doesn't feel it's made him more attractive to women, as he believes they 'aren't interested in men's bodies.' 'They're interested in cars and money,' says James. 'The moral of the story is, you can be fat as long as you've got a big wallet and a nice car. You'll still attract women.' While he has managed to avoid the vast majority of potential side effects these weight loss drugs can cause, from diarrhoea to dizziness, James admits there have been some other downsides. His transformation meant he needed to buy a whole new wardrobe, and he finds he gets much colder now, needing to wear thermals and multiple layers in June. And while James did notice his face becoming more sallow as he lost weight, he leaned into the image overhaul and decided to have fillers, which 'made a massive difference' to counteract the telltale 'Ozempic face'. Wegovy impacts your appetite, but you won't go off your food altogether. James says: 'I eat normally – low GI cereal with fruit for breakfast and a protein shake for lunch; I gave up my lunchtime bagel. Dinner is normally a salad of some type with chicken, maybe pitta and hummus. 'On Sunday I had a sausage and a burger, as well as a bottle of wine with friends. Before I would have thought, 'that burger was great', and have a second one. I don't do that now.' You'll likely want fewer fatty foods while taking Wegovy, but it's important to balance eating in a caloric deficit with ensuring you get the nutrients you need. Like many users, James tends not to tell people he's taking Wegovy, as some consider it 'cheating' – a viewpoint he refutes. Instead, he thinks it should be made universally available for free or cheap. 'I think it's a tool, much like you can use anything as a tool,' he says. 'It's impossible to succeed without training and working out and eating more healthily. Yes, I perhaps wanted a bit of a quick fix. But it hasn't been a quick fix.' More Trending After reaching a plateau, James is now looking to come off the medication. But is he worried he'll revert back to his old ways once he does? 'I don't know,' he admits. 'I don't want to be on it for the rest of my life, but it was almost impossible for me to lose the weight I wanted to lose without it. It's like a little guardian angel on your shoulder saying 'Don't eat that!'.' View More » This article was first published on August 8, 2024. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: Coronation Street star Kimberly Hart-Simpson receives support as she shares diagnosis MORE: Chloe Ayling: 'The email that made me realise why people doubted my kidnapping' MORE: Buried alive: How 33 men survived being trapped underground for 69 days Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Wegovy, Mounjaro sales in India double on month in July
HYDERABAD, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Sales of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk ( opens new tab's Wegovy and U.S. rival Eli Lilly's (LLY.N), opens new tab Mounjaro in India doubled in July from a month earlier, data from research firm Pharmarack showed on Thursday. Demand for the blockbuster anti-obesity drugs, which help control blood sugar and slow digestion, has been on an upswing in the world's most populous nation. Sales of Wegovy, launched locally in June, more than doubled to 5,000 units or 70 million rupees ($798,230) in July, the data showed. Mounjaro sales also doubled month-on-month to 157,000 units or 470 million rupees. "Though Wegovy has a strong prescriber base because of Rybelsus, substantial promotion may be needed to reach the Mounjaro patient base for the injectable market," Pharmarack's Vice President (Commercial) Sheetal Sapale said in a statement. In India, Novo has been selling oral semaglutide pills under the brand name Rybelsus since 2022 for type 2 diabetes. Mounjaro's sales have soared 15 times since March, when the drug was launched in India. ($1 = 87.6790 Indian rupees)
