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One of the scientists whose work pioneered the development of medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy has revealed why life may become “so miserably boring” after two years of using the drug. Ozempic is an FDA-approved medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It works by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which regulates blood sugar levels and slows down the rate at which food leaves the stomach, often creating the feeling of fullness. These semaglutide injections – sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy – have soared in popularity as many people, including Hollywood celebrities, have used it for weight loss. What’s more, people have also found Ozempic has been effective in curing their addictive habits, like drinking, smoking, shopping, or nail biting. However, because of Ozempic’s increasing popularity, it has led to national shortages of the type 2 diabetes treatment – leaving those who actually need it without. In an interview with Wired, professor Jens Juul Holst – who received the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize in 2021 for his work developing treatments based on the GLP-1 hormone – spoke about the effects of Ozempic, and why he believes many people will stop taking the medication after just a few years. “What happens is that you lose your appetite and also the pleasure of eating, and so I think there’s a price to be paid when you do that,” Holst told Wired. “If you like food, then that pleasure is gone. The craving for food for some people is taken away when they take GLP-1 drugs.” He continued: “That may eventually be a problem, that once you’ve been on this for a year or two, life is so miserably boring that you can’t stand it any longer and you have to go back to your old life.” Holst added that medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have been on the market since 2005, though studies show that these people don’t stay on them for very long. “It’s just like every other drug, they don’t stay on it for many reasons,” he explained. “One of the reasons, as I said, is that once you have tried it and you realise you’ve lost interest in food, then that may be enough.” “We don’t know why people stop taking these drugs, but we know for a fact that they do stop. They do that all over the world.” A 2020 study found that 70 per cent of people who took GLP-1 drugs for type 2 diabetes stopped taking them within two years. However, this could pose a problem for many patients taking semaglutide injections. Research has found that people who stopped taking Ozempic or Wegovy for weight loss experienced weight rebound. A trial published in April 2022 saw participants gain back two thirds of the weight they had lost after 68 weeks of taking semaglutide. As for celebrities who use the once-weekly injection for weight loss, despite not having diabetes or clinical obesity, Hans instead called attention to the “many terrible problems” that those with diabetes have struggled with by not having drugs like Ozempic readily available. “Have you ever visited a diabetes hospital? It’s really deplorable,” he said. “People come in with amputated limbs and compromised cognitive functions and heart problems or they can barely move – they’re miserable and depressed. It’s really serious. There is so much you can improve with a drug that is not only a weight-loss drug but is also an anti-diabetic.” Amidst the popularity of semaglutide injections, the US Food and Drug Administration has issued warnings for consumers not to use off-brand versions of Ozempic or Wegovy, because they may not include the same GLP-1 hormone used in approved medications. Earlier this month, agency officials reported problems with patients using compounded versions of semaglutide – which combines traditional semaglutide with other ingredients. These drugs are not FDA-approved, and the agency does not verify the safety or effectiveness of compounded drugs. Consumers should only use drugs containing semaglutide with a prescription from a licensed health care provider and obtained from a state-licensed pharmacy or other facilities registered with the FDA, the agency said. Read More What is ‘Ozempic face’? Doctors warn about facial ageing side effect of diabetes medications How does Wegovy work? The ‘game changing’ weight loss drug beloved by Hollywood FDA warns against using off-brand versions of Ozempic, Wegovy for weight loss Scientist behind Ozempic says drug can make life ‘so miserably boring’ Pregnant Stassi Schroeder admits she wants to ‘try’ Ozempic after giving birth Doctors warn about ‘Ozempic face’ side effect of medications

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Rescue teams are set to begin an attempt to evacuate a American explorer trapped 3,400 feet (1,040m) deep underground in a cave in southern Turkey. Mark Dickey, a 40-year-old experienced caver, suddenly became ill with bleeding in his degistive tract earlier this month during an international exploration mission in the Morca cave in the Taurus mountains. More than 150 rescuers from across Europe have been working to save him since. The attempt to bring Mr Dickey out of the cave is expected to begin on Saturday and could take three or four days, rescuers said. The way out is being divided into seven sections, each given to a team from a different country, due to the complexity of the operation. This is regarded as one of the most difficult cave rescues ever. Follow the latest in our live blog here "This is a difficult operation. It would take a [healthy] person 16 hours to come out. This operation will last at least three or four days," Cenk Yildiz, a regional official from Turkey's disaster relief agency, AFAD, told the IHA news agency. "Our priority is health. Our aim is to conclude this operation without anyone coming under any danger." Tulga Sener, the head of the rescue commission medical unit, told Reuters that Mr Dickey's health condition was stable and his vital signs normal, adding that three doctors would attend to him on his way up. It is believed that Mr Dickey will have to take significant rest at frequent points on the way out. Explosives will need to be used to expand some of the more narrow points of the cave to allow safe passge said Recep Salci, the head of search and rescue for AFAD, with the aim of bringing Mr Dickey up a stretcher. Rescuers will use a "security belt" system to lift him through the cave's narrowest openings. Doctors gave Mr Dickey IV fluids and 4 litres of blood inside the cave, he said. More than 30 rescuers were inside the cave on Friday afternoon, and teams comprised of a doctor and three or four others take turns staying with the American at all times, Mr Salci said. "Our aim is to bring him out and to have him hospitalised as soon as possible," Mr Salci said. Members of Italy's National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Team joined rescue teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey late Thursday. A Turkish helicopter was on standby near the entrance of the cave, Turkish media reports said. The Italian organisation said six of their rescuers, including a doctor and nurse, reached Dickey during the night. The team planned to work to keep him stable for 15 to 20 hours before being replaced by another team. Small camps set up at different levels inside the cave gave doctors, nurses and technicians a place to rest, the group said. Mr Dickey recorded a video message that was released by Turkish authorities late on Thursday. "Hi, I'm Mark Dickey from nearly a thousands metres," Mr Dickey said in the message, dressed in a red puffer jacket and using a headlamp. "As you can see, I'm up, I'm alert, I'm talking. But I'm not healed on the inside yet, so I'm going to need a lot of help to get out of here," he added. The caving world is a really tight-knit group ,and it's amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface," Mr Dickey said in the video. "I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I need, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the edge." The New Jersey-based cave rescue group that Mr Dickey is affiliated with said he had been bleeding and losing fluid from his stomach but had stopped vomiting and ate for the first time in days. Mr Dickey added that the response to his medical issues is "a great opportunity to show how well the international world can work together". Footage from the operation showed rescuers setting up shelters in the cavity where he was found and chatting with Dickey. Other teams from Turkey and elsewhere set up camp outside the country's third-deepest cave. Mr Dickey has been described by the European Association of Cave Rescuers as "a highly trained caver and a cave rescuer himself" who is well known as a cave researcher, or speleologist, from his participation in many international expeditions. He is secretary of the association's medical committee. The researcher was on an expedition mapping the 4,186-foot (1,276-metre) deep Morca cave system for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association, according to Yusuf Ogrenecek of the Speleological Federation of Turkey. He initially became ill on 2 September, but it took until the morning of to notify others who were above ground. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report Read More Two men questioned in Lebanon at Turkey's request over 2019 escape of former Nissan tycoon Sunak pledges to ‘put pressure’ on Moscow as he arrives in India for summit Helicopters airlift residents to safety from deadly floods in central Greece What is a speleologist? AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa Is it India? Is it Bharat? Speculations abound as government pushes for the country’s Sanskrit name

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