Latest news with #dietpill
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
No Injections Needed: How Women Over 50 Are Losing Weight With Contrave
If you don't like the high prices that can come with popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic—or the needle pokes they require—we have good news. A little-known oral diet pill called Contrave is affordable and helps people painlessly reach their weight-loss goals. In fact, Woman's World reader Janet Allen lost 115 pounds with it. Keep reading to learn how this easy medicine might work for you. And don't miss Janet's inspiring Contrave weight-loss success story at the end! How Contrave speeds weight loss You may know that injectable drugs like Ozempic work to lower blood sugar and slow stomach emptying so you feel full longer. But Contrave—an oral tablet with the active ingredients naltrexone and bupropion—works differently. It addresses the mental side of weight gain. Hormone specialist Gowri Rocco, MD, author of Growing Younger, says, 'Contrave targets two areas of the brain involved in hunger and cravings. This can be especially helpful for women in menopause who often experience more emotional eating.' The drug essentially works on the brain to quiet appetite and boost your mood. Those antidepressant, anti-addiction effects appeal to many yo-yo dieters. Dr. Rocco says, 'Contrave works on the brain's reward center to reduce hunger and the urge to emotionally eat. It helps rewire the brain, making it a unique tool for addressing habits rooted in the brain, not the gut.' Contrave is a more affordable weight loss option than Wegovy Fans say you can't beat the results for the price. While Wegovy shots are shown to help people shed 15 percent of their weight, Contrave can help people drop nearly 12 percent, finds University of Windsor research, and it costs about 90 percent less. Many patients pay $99 a month for Contrave using the CurAccess program. Compare that to the more than $1,000 a month out-of-pocket that some people pay for Ozempic or Wegovy. Contrave works even better when paired with walking 'Obesity is a heterogeneous disease,' says Ivy-League educated obesity expert Katherine Saunders, MD, cofounder of FlyteHealth. In other words, it is caused by many different factors and thus needs different treatments. Dr. Saunders, who has given a popular TED talk about obesity care, says what works best is a 'comprehensive, personal and multifactorial treatment plan.' That means combining medication with other health habits—a duo she describes as 'life-changing and lifesaving.' So it's no surprise that women are seeing massive results by pairing Contrave and walking. 'I see women over 50 have success every day,' says Dr. Saunders. She witnesses patients experience what science calls 'super responder-level weight loss,' meaning they shed far more weight than doctors expect. She explains, 'Contrave and other anti-obesity medications allow women who are unable to lose weight with diet and exercise alone to treat their obesity successfully.' How walking increases weight loss on Contrave 'Walking improves insulin sensitivity and boosts mood, which enhances the effects of any strategy aimed at reducing cravings,' explains Dr. Rocco. 'When the brain's triggers are quieted and the body is moving regularly, the results often come faster and feel more sustainable. The two together create a reset for body and mind.' The proof: A study in The Lancet found that people taking a higher dose of Contrave and walking regularly lost weight four times faster than dieters in a control group. And in a study in Obesity, people taking Contrave and walking were more than twice as likely to shed 15 percent of their weight than those who only walked. Contrave success story: Janet lost 115 pounds during menopause For years, Janet Allen binged salty foods when she felt stressed, sad, angry or lonely. 'The cravings were constant,' she says. 'I never actually felt hungry—I overate so often that I was always full.' She believed this weight gain was inevitable with age. 'I felt hopeless.' When Janet finally opened up to her nurse practitioner about her wild cravings, she got some new advice: Try a prescription pill. 'That conversation changed my life,' she says. 'Finding out there was a medical option that would help me address the reasons I was eating was a breakthrough.' She saw results quickly Janet's appetite quickly decreased. 'I was able to catch myself before I ran to the fridge, so I could choose an alternative activity.' That activity was walking with her daughter. Slowly, 15 minutes became 30, then 45, then an hour. They soon added in hills. 'The more we moved, the more we lost,' says Janet. Janet dropped 10 pounds in one month using Contrave and walking. The exercise also toned her body—and that helped her avoid sagging skin. 'I pinch myself. I thought getting back into shape would be impossible. This is the most weight I've ever lost. I lost faster than when I was younger.' Janet shed more than 100 pounds and reversed her sleep apnea. 'The medicine helped with my unique situation,' she explains, whereas her daughter dropped 90 pounds simply by walking. 'When I feel hungry now, it's such a wild feeling,' she says. 'You can reclaim your life. It's not too late!' After Contrave, Janet is 7 sizes smaller Despite being in menopause, Janet shed a total of 115 pounds—without the sagging skin that's so common among women who lose weight. Now at 61, she's in the best shape of her life. 'The biggest 'aha' I've had is that my eating and weight management weren't about self-control or laziness. I had to get to the root of why I had been abusing food in the first place and heal from food addiction,' she says. 'People always comment about how good I look, which is great. But the real benefit is how much I've healed on the inside and the peace this journey has led to. It was as much a mental journey as a physical one!' Additional reporting by Allison Nemetz and Cailey Griffin Keep scrolling for more GLP-1 health news: How to Access GLP-1 Medications Safely and Legally After the FDA's New Rules Experts: How to Prevent Muscle Loss on Ozempic Lose Weight for Less With Hacks Like Microdosing Ozempic—See the Simple Click Chart This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
The Independent
24-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
New weight loss pill could burn fat without usual jab side effects
A new experimental diet pill for type 2 diabetes and obesity works by triggering muscle metabolism to burn fat, offering a different approach to existing GLP-1 injections. Unlike current weight loss jabs, this tablet-form drug aims to avoid common side effects such as gastrointestinal issues, loss of appetite, and reduced muscle mass. Initial animal studies and a small human clinical trial involving 48 healthy participants and 25 people with type 2 diabetes have shown the drug is well-tolerated and effective in controlling blood sugar and improving body composition. Researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University developed the drug, a modified beta-2 agonist, to specifically target muscles without overstimulating the heart. The next phase involves a larger clinical study planned by Atrogi AB, the company developing the treatment, to further assess its efficacy and safety.
The Independent
24-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
‘Holy grail' diet pill burns fat without affecting appetite or muscle mass unlike weight loss jabs
A diet pill that lowers blood sugar and increases fat burning without negatively affecting appetite or muscle mass, could help patients lose weight without suffering brutal side effects. The potential new drug treatment for people with type 2 diabetes and obesity, which is taken in tablet form, works in a completely different way to GLP-1 injections such as Ozempic and Wegovy. These injections work by mimicking the natural hormone which regulates blood sugar, appetite and digestion. These injections affect the hunger signals between the gut and the brain, but can often cause a loss of appetite, reduced muscle mass and gastrointestinal problems – leaving people feeling weaker or saggy. However, the new drug works by triggering the metabolism in the muscles, activating them to burn more fat. In animal studies, the treatment has shown good effects on both blood sugar control and body composition, but without the side effects associated with today's GLP-1-based drugs. The study published in the journal Cell by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, revealed an initial clinical trial involving 48 healthy participants and 25 people with type 2 diabetes found humans can also tolerate the treatment. "Our results point to a future where we can improve metabolic health without losing muscle mass. Muscles are important in both type 2 diabetes and obesity, and muscle mass is also directly correlated with life expectancy," said one of the researchers behind the study, Tore Bengtsson, professor at the Department of Molecular Bioscience, Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University. The drug is based on a substance – a type of β2 (beta) agonist – which researchers have developed in a lab. Beta 2 agonist drugs are commonly used to treat asthma, but they can cause side-effects such as an increased heart rate or tremors. Researchers say the molecule they created has a positive effect on the muscles without overstimulating the heart. 'This drug represents a completely new type of treatment and has the potential to be of great importance for patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity. Our substance appears to promote healthy weight loss and, in addition, patients do not have to take injections," said Shane Wright, assistant professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Karolinska Institutet, who is one of the researchers behind the study. The next step for researchers is a clinical study planned by Atrogi AB, the company developing the treatment.
