Originally published via Armageddon Prose Substack:
Nestle to debut processed foods ‘directed at the growing number of Americans on Wegovy or Ozempic’
Via CBS News (emphasis added):
“Nestle is launching a new line of high-fiber, protein-packed foods directed at the growing number of Americans on Wegovy or Ozempic, and others trying to lose weight.
Called Vital Pursuit foods, the products are ‘well-suited to support a balanced diet for anyone on a weight management journey’ the Swiss food and beverage maker said Tuesday, but ‘are portion-aligned’ for consumers taking GLP-1 medications, also known as semaglutides. Twelve newly designed food items — including whole grain bowls, sandwich melts and pizzas — will hit select stores nationwide toward the end of this year, Nestle added…
Nestle, the parent company of DiGiorno pizza and Stouffer’s frozen meals, said it will price each food item at $4.99 but retailers may change that figure. A new line of foods appears to be one of several steps Nestle is taking to capture the weight loss consumer.”
Let’s have a look-see at the ingredients list for “Stouffer’s Lasagna With Meat & Sauce,” via Environmental Working Group:
“SAUCE: TOMATO PUREE (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), COOKED BEEF, WATER, DRY CURD COTTAGE CHEESE (CULTURED SKIM MILK. ENZYMES), MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, NATURAL FLAVORS, SALT, SOY SAUCE (WATER, WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALT). WHEAT FLOUR. SUGAR, SPICES. COOKED PASTA: WATER, SEMOLINA WHEAT FLOUR. CHEESE: LOW-MOISTURE PART-SKIM MOZZARELLA CHEESE (CULTURED PART-SKIM MILK. SALT, ENZYMES). PART-SKIM MOZZARELLA CHEESE AND MODIFIED CORNSTARCH (PART-SKIM MOZZARELLA CHEESE (CULTURED MILK. SALT, ENZYMES), MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, SKIM MILK, FLAVORS). PARMESAN CHEESE (CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES).”
Nothing screams “down-home goodness like mama used to make” quite like modified cornstarch, “low-moisture part-skim mozzarella,” and “natural flavors” — whatever on God’s Forsaken Earth that means (definitely not “natural”).
The Stouffer’s slop also contains “Ingredient(s) likely derived from antibiotic-treated animals” and “Ingredient(s) derived from animals that may have been treated with hormones and/or growth promoters,” EWG adds in its notes.
Those “growth promoters” should pair nicely with the explosive thyroid-cancer action in Ozempic.
‘Ozempic face’ does work on celebrity’s moneymakers
Via New York Post (emphasis added):
“Amid the weight loss treatment’s skyrocketing popularity, surgeons believe that Hollywood is experiencing a spike in the side effect known as ‘Ozempic Face.’
Several doctors claimed… that celebs from John Goodman to Sharon Osbourne are among those hit hardest by the alleged condition…
Ozempic’s fat-fighting capabilities have understandably made it all the rage in body-obsessed Hollywood, which has allegedly resulted the aforementioned rise in ‘deflation,’ according to experts.
After examining pics of 15 celebs who experienced a major weight loss transformation, a panel of surgeons speculated that at least half may have suffered from this facial emaciation.”
I don’t pretend to have any expertise in diagnosing the pathology behind Ozempic face, but it seems one thing going on is that these people are losing muscle mass at a rapid clip (more on that coming up).
Via Medical News Today (emphasis added):
“Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, a cosmetic and celebrity dermatologist, coined the term ‘Ozempic face’ after treating many individuals with this symptom…
While Ozempic is safe to use with a doctor’s recommendation, it can cause rapid weight loss that is often more pronounced on the face.
Facial fat serves a protective function and affects facial aesthetics and elasticity. Weight loss can cause dermatological changes and shrinking because the fat that stretches and cushions the skin is no longer in place.
The skin of the face also loses its ability to retract after an episode of rapid weight loss due to reduced levels of elastin and collagen, which are essential for structural integrity.
As a result, people taking Ozempic may report the following facial symptoms:
- increased signs of aging, such as more lines and wrinkles1
- loss of fat, which can lead the skin to become loose and sag
- a hollowed-out appearance
- lipodystrophy, which affects how the body accumulates and stores fat”
New drugs in pipeline to fix muscle wasting caused by old drugs
Via Irish Examiner (emphasis added):
“The new blockbuster weight loss shots can help patients trim more pounds than any medicines have before. Now drugmakers are rushing to solve another problem — making sure people keep their muscle even as they shed fat.
The race for potential treatments is picking up pace. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals released data recently showing that its antibody cocktail boosted muscle in a small group of volunteers. Eli Lilly & Co agreed to shell out as much as $2bn (€1.8bn) last year for a startup with an experimental drug that aims to decrease fat while maintaining muscle.
Some doctors are sceptical, saying that for many obese patients shedding pounds is of paramount importance, even if they lose muscle alongside fat. Yet preserving muscle is an alluring goal for drugmakers that missed the first generation of obesity treatments and are seeking a foothold in the fast-growing and lucrative field…
When people drop weight very quickly, whether via obesity drugs or bariatric surgery, they may face a higher risk of an unhealthy loss of muscle. And if they stop using the drugs and regain weight, they risk adding back a higher proportion of fat, an effect that can weaken the body over time.
The phenomenon is rooted in the body’s ability to raid its own muscles to survive periods of starvation, said George Yancopoulos, chief scientific officer of Regeneron. Severe caloric restriction helps spur the production of myostatin, a protein that impedes the growth of muscle.”
Of course, there will soon to follow be a new round of drugs to counteract the allegedly unforeseen side effects of this latest round of drugs to counteract the original side effects of Ozempic and Wegovy, and around and around we go on the pharmaceutical carousel of disease and impoverishment.
Whatever happened to the Good Old Days of Reagan’s “Just Say No” mantra?
Ben Bartee, author of Broken English Teacher: Notes From Exile, is an independent Bangkok-based American journalist with opposable thumbs.
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