The use of drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy by women suffering from obesity could end up altering their sensitivity to sweet taste, according to a recent study.
The weight loss drugs belong to a class of medications known as GLP-1 and their active ingredient is semaglutide.
Researchers randomly assigned 30 women with an average BMI of 36.4 to take either 1mg of semaglutide or a placebo for 16 weeks. A BMI value of over 35 is considered to be obese.
During the testing period, researchers measured the participants’ taste sensitivity. They used MRI to measure brain responses while a sweet solution was dripped on their tongues. This was done before and after the women had their meals.
Individuals receiving semaglutide were found to have experienced changes in taste perception, taste bud gene expression, and brain activity in response to the sweet taste stimuli.
“People with obesity often perceive tastes less ‘intensely’ and they have an inherently elevated desire for sweet and energy-dense food,” said Mojca Jensterle Sever from the University Medical Centre in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
“Our findings build upon preliminary animal studies showing that central administration of GLP-1RA medications impacts taste aversion to sweetness.” The study was presented during the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting on June 1 in Boston.
In a statement to The Epoch Times, Kate Hanna, director of communications at Novo Nordisk which manufactures Ozempic and Wegovy, pointed out that the study has not yet been peer-reviewed or published.
Dysgeusia—unpleasant, abnormal, or altered taste sensation—is already listed in the product monograph for Ozempic and Wegovy, Ms. Hanna noted. A product monograph is a scientific document of a drug product.
“The study was conducted in a small sample size of 30 women with obesity and only the sweet taste stimuli were assessed. Moreover, the study was conducted in women living with obesity and PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) limiting its generalizability to the general population.”
Semaglutide has been “extensively” examined in several clinical development programs and has more than 12 million patient-years of exposure, she claimed.
The study also revealed how the brain responded to the GLP-1 receptor in the angular gyrus, a part of the brain that influences number and language processing as well as reasoning and memory,
“The general public will be interested to learn of the potential novel effects of this popular therapeutic class widely used for the treatment of diabetes and obesity,” Ms. Sever said.
“Clinicians will likely correlate the findings with reports from their patients on changes in desire for certain foods, which go beyond broad changes in appetite and satiety that help them lose weight.”
Altered Taste and Other Impacts
Medical experts have been pointing to taste issues felt by their patients who have been taking Ozempic.“One person just said they can’t stand the taste of soda or coffee anymore,” he wrote.
It advised users to inform their health care provider in case they develop a lump or swelling in their neck, have trouble swallowing, or suffer shortness of breath, as these may be symptoms of thyroid cancer.
From 2018 through January, the FDA’s Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) has received 108 reports of suicidal ideation among Ozempic users. This included nine suicide attempts and six completed suicides.
Novo Nordisk has dismissed any association between Ozempic and suicidal tendencies.
Plaintiffs alleged they suffered gastrointestinal injuries from using the drugs, including gastroparesis—a condition in which a person’s stomach does not empty properly.
The lawsuits claim that the company failed to adequately warn users and doctors about the dangerous potential gastrointestinal side effects of the drug.
Individuals who suffer from gastroparesis experience dehydration from repeated vomiting, difficulty in controlling blood sugar levels, and malnutrition due to poor nutrient absorption—consequences that can be life-threatening.
