‘Miracle’ weight loss jabs like Wegovy and Ozempic ‘increase the risk of deadly gut complications’
TRENDY fat jabs can damage the guts of people who take them to lose weight, a study found.
Data from more than 5,000 patients found even previously healthy users were at higher risk of pancreatitis, bowel obstruction and stomach paralysis.
The conditions can need surgery to fix and be life-threatening if untreated.
Injections like Wegovy and Ozempic are booming in the UK because they banish hunger pangs and help rapid weight loss.
But the study by the University of British Columbia found slimmers using them were nine times more likely than usual to get pancreatitis.
This involves swelling of the pancreas and may cause pain and vomiting.
Their risk of bowel obstruction or stomach paralysis was four times higher than average.
Both conditions prevent food and waste from moving through the digestive system properly, and may need surgical treatment.
Study author Mohit Sohdi said: “It is concerning that in some cases people can simply go online and order these kinds of medications without a full understanding of what could happen.
“Given the wide use of these drugs, these adverse events, although rare, must be considered by patients thinking about using them.
“People who are otherwise healthy may be less willing to accept these potentially serious adverse events.”
The study, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, used data from 5,411 US patients using the injections and found 183 suffered serious side effects.
The injections were originally designed to treat type 2 diabetes, which can be triggered by obesity.
But health services are now approving their use for weight loss to curb an obesity crisis.
Countries across Europe and North America are seeing huge demand for injections, including from private patients simply wanting to slim down.
Six in 10 adults in England are overweight or obese, with cases of type 2 diabetes and heart diseases on the rise.
Other studies have found the drugs, called GLP-1 agonists, offer wider health benefits including reversing the effects of heart failure.
Another found benefits last for at least three years, though NHS patients are currently only offered a two-year course.