Elon Musk credits diabetic drug for his ‘ripped’ look; what you need to know about the new treatment that’s gone viral on TikTok

Diabetic drugs trended on TikTok after Tesla founder Musk said using one helped him look fit. They aid weight loss as a side effect – if you can afford them

Accident and emergency doctor Michael Daignault says an effective weight-loss treatment would be a game-changer for millions suffering from obesity

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Tesla founder Elon Musk has said that a once-weekly injectable – a diabetic drug – is his secret weapon for losing weight. Photo: TNS

Published: 7:15pm, 23 Oct 2022

The diabetic drug Ozempic has recently vaulted into the public interest, and searches for #Ozempic have generated more than 350 million views on social media platform TikTok – not for its ability to moderate insulin in diabetics, but because of a notable side effect: weight loss.

Ozempic is the brand name of semaglutide, which is one of many in a drug class known as incretins or gut hormones. A higher dose of semaglutide, Wegovy, started trending when Tesla founder Elon Musk said the once-weekly injectable was his secret weapon for looking “fit, ripped and healthy”.

Multiple studies show clear evidence that regular exercise can help achieve overall fitness, better cardiovascular health and improved mental health.

I also previously wrote about how getting your daily 7,000-10,000 steps in could also reduce your risk of dying, and another new study found that those who lift weights just one or two times per week had a nine per cent reduced risk of dying from all causes – except for cancer.

Musk has said Wegovy, a diabetic drug which as a side effect aids weight loss, was his secret weapon for looking “fit, ripped and healthy”. Photo: DPA

However, when it comes to weight loss, exercise alone is not that effective.

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