Although these drugs have revolutionized the treatment of obesity, these same drugs are causing a resurgence of scurvy, the traditional disease that was widespread among pirates and sailors in past centuries and was thought to have disappeared except in the pages of history books.
What's striking is that researchers from the University of Newcastle in Australia reviewed 41 studies involving more than 50,000 people taking these medications and discovered a remarkable scientific gap: while all the studies meticulously monitored weight loss, only two tracked whether participants maintained a healthy diet. This means that the true impact of these medications on patients' health remains largely unknown in scientific studies, as weight loss does not necessarily equate to good health and may even come at the expense of proper nutrition.
"These drugs are undoubtedly effective, but weight loss does not automatically mean that a person is healthy," says Dr. Clare Collins, the study's lead author. "Proper nutrition is the missing element in this equation."
The study indicates that the mechanism behind the problem is simple and straightforward. These medications almost completely suppress a person's appetite, causing them to eat significantly less than usual. This sharp decrease in food intake inevitably leads to a severe deficiency in essential nutrients, most notably vitamin C, which is found in fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, unpleasant side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and constipation make eating even more difficult, exacerbating the situation.
As these medications continue to be taken for months or years, as is the case with most patients, the risk of developing a chronic nutritional deficiency that seriously threatens health increases.
When the body lacks vitamin C for one to three months, scurvy gradually begins to appear. Its symptoms are unpleasant and frightening: the gums begin to swell, turn purple, and then bleed, and the teeth begin to loosen. Under the skin, bleeding and bruising appear abnormally easily, the legs swell, and the hair becomes dry, brittle, and breaks in a strange spiral pattern.
In advanced, untreated cases, a person can permanently lose their teeth due to gum damage. Treatment for this condition is simple if detected early, relying on vitamin C supplements and a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, which can lead to improvement within just two days and complete recovery within two weeks.
The famous British singer Robbie Williams, 51, experienced this firsthand. After taking an appetite suppressant similar to Ozempic, he almost completely stopped eating and lost about 13 kilograms, only to be surprised later by a diagnosis of scurvy.
Williams described his feelings with poignant candor when he said that he was outwardly happy to have reached a low weight, but in reality he felt sad, depressed, and exhausted all the time, to the point that he saw words of concern about his excessive thinness as a "grand prize" rather than a real health warning.
Celebrity personal trainer and former Olympian Sarah Lindsay, who has worked with stars like Piers Morgan and Ellie Goulding, confirms that the problem has become so widespread that even people who are already thin are taking these drugs to become even thinner. These individuals come to her in a deplorable state: weak, exhausted, suffering from severe digestive problems and significant hair loss. Her greatest concern revolves around the long-term effects of chronic malnutrition and the potential resurgence of nutritional deficiencies we thought had been eradicated, such as scurvy.
According to experts, the solution lies not in stopping these medications, but in taking them wisely and consciously. They advise anyone taking these medications to follow a balanced, protein-rich diet and to do resistance training to maintain muscle mass and prevent muscle loss instead of fat loss.
