Many of us have spent years trying to shed extra kilos, yet over 23 per cent of Kenyan adults remain overweight, and most weight-loss efforts fail. For more than 40 years, diet and exercise have been pushed as the only solution, but few succeed long-term.

As one writer noted, “People don’t fail diets, diets fail people.” Often, the push to lose weight stems less from health concerns and more from societal pressure and ridicule. Unlike in the past, when a bigger body was seen as a sign of wealth or good health, today’s society often discriminates based on body size, creating a real moral dilemma. We now live in an obesogenic environment, where processed foods are cheap, heavily marketed and widely available, while healthy, organic options remain scarce and costly.

According to the World Obesity Atlas, Japan has the lowest obesity rate at just 4.5 per cent, while in the US, over 45 per cent of adults are obese. In Africa, projections show that by 2030, 45 per cent of women and 26per cent of men could be overweight or obese.

Obesity is linked to numerous health complications, and growing evidence suggests that drugs like Ozempic may help reverse it. Anecdotal reports indicate users can lose up to 15 per cent of their body weight within a year—though still less than what bariatric surgery achieves.

In 1984, Canadian endocrinologist Prof Daniel Drucker and his team discovered that the glucagon gene in the pancreas contains a GLP-1 molecule. When combined with insulin, it boosts insulin production. GLP-1-based drugs lower blood sugar by stimulating insulin secretion and reducing glucagon levels through selective activation of the GLP-1 receptor.

In the gut, the drug suppresses hunger by up to 80, reducing how often and how much one eats. In the brain, it alters cravings and appetite by acting on the satiety system, influencing both what and how much one wants to eat.

Ozempic, in particular, has become the hottest drug globally. Dubbed a “miracle drug” by influencers, it has sparked a frenzy on social media. Celebrities are sharing their weight-loss journeys, while some users even demonstrate self-injections live on TikTok and Instagram.

This trend is worrying. Not everyone qualifies for the drug, which is recommended for individuals with a BMI over 27 kg/m². Yet many are using it to shed a few kilos for cosmetic reasons.

Ozempic offers hope for patients struggling with obesity, a condition associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and reduced quality of life.

Diabetic patients have been taking these drugs for more than 19 years and if there were any detrimental effects, it would have been discovered by now. However, there are some reported risks and concerns that the public should be cautious about even as they consider injecting Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists

These drugs contribute greatly to eating disorders by suppressing the pleasure of enjoying a delicious meal which could be quite dreadful and socially depressing leading to mental health deterioration. Pharmacy and Poisons Board must ensure that the importation and sale of these drugs is strictly controlled.    

Dr Mogoi is a Clinical Pharmacy Consultant