Could a straightforward patch inspired by the weight-loss drug Ozempic really make it easier to shed extra kilos without the pain and hassle of an injection?
Promotions for this Ozempic style weight reduction patches are popping up online promising dramatic results with none evidence to support their claims.
Personal recommendations for the patches are common. This also applies to some “doctors” on social media. But independent fact-checkers have shown this to be the case AI generated.
So before you spend your money, you must think twice about buying a weight reduction patch.
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What's in them? Do they work?
Ozempic-style patches are also called GLP-1 patches. However, they don’t contain the energetic pharmaceutical ingredient of Ozempic (semaglutide) or related medicines resembling Mounjaro (tirzepatide).
Instead, the Ozempic-style patches include a Mixture of herbal extracts including berberine, green tea (), the tropical fruit and bitter orange (L.).
There is a few laboratory evidence that highlights select compounds Berberinethe polyphenols in Green tea extract and hydroxycitric acid can have some effect. These include suppressing appetite, lowering blood sugar levels and playing a job in regulating fat metabolism to advertise weight reduction.
However, laboratory evidence doesn’t routinely translate to what happens in humans. In fact, recent findings in humans show that these herbs have little effect on weight reduction.
Let's take berberine. Mostly those Proof indicates that folks who take it don’t lose much weight. A scientific review found that taking over to 3 grams every day a 12 months had little effect on weight and waist circumference.
Another review that analyzed data from several studies found it comprises as much as 2.4g of it Green tea extract Daily supplementation for 13 weeks and greater than 4 g every day for 17 weeks had no effect on people's weight.
For Bitter orange extracta every day dose of as much as 54 milligrams of synephrine (a compound isolated from bitter orange extract) for eight weeks didn’t lead to weight reduction.
It is essential to notice that every one of those studies relate to oral formulations of herbal extracts, resembling tablets or capsules, and never to extracts administered via patches.
Do they penetrate the skin?
Whether an extract in a weight reduction patch gets through the skin relies on how the extract was made.
Our skin is extremely lipophilic, meaning it absorbs oily or fat-soluble chemicals and blocks water-loving or hydrophilic substances.
Therefore, not all medications may be delivered through the skin. Ozempic, for instance, is run as an injection since the energetic ingredient molecule it comprises is simply too large and water-loving to go through the skin.
If the extracts within the patches are made using a water-based process, their ingredients are unlikely to penetrate the skin and can simply remain inactive in your body until you remove the patch.
The next problem is that the patches may contain little or no herbal extract. In the studies discussed above, several grams of fabric were required to detect an effect. In fact, Ozempic patches typically contain lower than 0.1g of extract.
Even if the ingredients do get through the skin, these patches don't contain enough to have a meaningful effect.
You cannot assume that patches are protected
The Management of therapeutic goods regulates medicinal products in Australia, including herbal extracts.
For a herbal product to be approved on the market in Australia, it have to be listed there Australian Therapeutic Goods Register. There aren’t any Ozempic-style patches within the registry.
This signifies that the standard and safety of the patches you buy haven’t been evaluated and can’t be guaranteed.
An Australian study found cases reporting contamination with undeclared plant materials, heavy metals and pharmaceuticals resembling warfarin unregistered herbal products. These pollutants are dangerous because they will potentially be absorbed through the skin after which flow into throughout the body.
In short
While the concept of Ozempic-style weight reduction patches could seem tempting, they don't work and their safety is in no way guaranteed.
Instead of wasting your money, confer with your doctor or pharmacist who can recommend proven weight reduction treatments. They can offer protected and effective options tailored to make it easier to achieve your health goals.
