Except you’ve been in an extended coma, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Ozempic.
Ozempic is Right here… and Right here to Keep for a Whereas
Scientifically generally known as semaglutide, Ozempic is a drug that’s taken the world by storm, mainly due to its profitable weight administration outcomes. Initially developed to handle type-2 diabetes, it’s in a category of prescribed drugs generally known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. This additionally consists of Wegovy, an injectable drug that’s accredited to be used as a weight reduction treatment in overweight sufferers.[1]
Whereas these drugs present promise for weight reduction, they’re not a panacea, and dieters ought to at all times contemplate all well being avenues, whether or not or not a GLP-1 agonist drug is used. This consists of eating regimen, train, and dietary supplements to fill dietary gaps.
Savvy customers and dietary complement manufacturers should hold this in thoughts when growing complement stacks and merchandise to assist weight and well being targets — customers of GLP-1 drugs symbolize a brand new and rising demographic available in the market to help.
Contemplate Chromax®
On this article, we discover one ingredient that needs to be thought-about in complement stacks and formulations: Nutrition21’s Chromax®, which is the trade’s premier type of chromium (as chromium picolinate). Chromax has demonstrated a capability to:
Assist preserve muscle when shedding pounds and assist general physique composition
Help carbohydrate metabolism and insulin operate, and
Assist handle cravings and urge for food.
No matter a dieter’s resolution to take a pharmaceutical method to weight reduction, these are all nice advantages to pursue.
Let’s have a look at a few of the latest analysis on these medication, and see if there’s a connection to be made with chromium supplementation:
2024 Analysis assessment: Semaglutide and Lean Mass Loss
The information surrounding GLP-1 agonists has highlighted lots of their optimistic and adverse results, reinforcing the stance that eating regimen, train, and supplementation have to be thought-about in all conditions.
In latest weeks, new stories of Ozempic’s unwanted effects have emerged, which might be summarized succinctly by reference to the Atlantic’s headline proclaiming that “Ozempic Makes You Lose Extra Than Fats”.[2] Sadly, it appears that evidently therapy with this drug could cause important quantities of muscle loss, as explored by an April 2024 systematic analysis assessment investigating six separate research.[3]
Nonetheless – the identical assessment discovered that even in bigger trials the place the discount in lean mass was extra evident, semaglutide therapy elevated the examine topics’ proportion of lean mass, indicating a internet enchancment to general physique composition.[3]
Whether or not this makes Ozempic “value it” for any given dieter is very depending on that particular person’s particular person context. Some folks can preserve a high-protein eating regimen with resistance coaching, which can stave off many of those results. Others even have extra muscle mass to start with. So, as at all times, it’s best to ask your physician if these findings might relate to you.
GLP-1 Agonists aren’t going anyplace, however there are points to think about
Ozempic has grow to be a helpful signifier for the complete class of medication, which relies on its major mechanism of motion, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonism. These are medication that enhance the expression of GLP-1, which boosts insulin secretion, improves blood glucose management, and promotes satiety by slowing gastric emptying,[4-9] thereby aiding within the administration of diabetes and weight problems.
With the development of satiety comes the discount of urge for food, and thus, meals consumption. This could result in dietary gaps, and that’s precisely the place dietary dietary supplements slot in — from protein to fiber to important minerals.
The query turns into, how can we assist dieters’ effectiveness and stop points from decreased meals consumption?
Preserve protein excessive
The primary concept that involves thoughts is protein and important amino acid supplementation. Since high-protein diets have been proven to assist physique composition with almost each dietary tactic,[10-14] it’s crucial to maintain the important macronutrient excessive, assist as a lot muscle mass as potential. Protein shakes can actually assist these targets.[15-19]
For instance, a protein powder we’ve just lately coated that retains the fat, energy, and carbs decrease with the protein nonetheless excessive is Podium Diet’s HWPO Whey Isolate. Even somebody whose urge for food is a bit decrease can admire a fast shake like this, retaining amino acids circulating, supporting muscle tissue.
Don’t neglect the wholesome fat
Dieters with decrease appetites are prone to be dropping added fat, as nicely. It is a nice alternative to re-balance the omega-3:omega-6 ratio, which was traditionally nearer to 1:1 earlier than the industrialization of meals.[20-23] Greater omega-6 ratios are predictive of heart problems,[20,24] insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction,[25-28] diabetes,[29-31] and weight problems.[32-34]
So the aim right here is to cut back the commercial omega-6 fat, and increase omega-3 fatty acids, which have been proven to assist important metabolic biomarkers.[35-39]
Contemplate fiber
Fiber supplementation is commonly situation-dependent, however typically, there are an unbelievable variety of advantages to its supplementation.[40]
Apart from supporting the intestine microbiome,[41] fiber has been proven to enhance insulin sensitivity and general metabolic well being enhancements[42] whereas supporting wholesome weight and belly fats discount.[43,44] It additionally improves intestine motility and prevents constipation,[45] which might enormously assist this new technology of dieters.
Nonetheless, not everybody responds extremely nicely to fiber, so it’s value placing right into a separate formulation and permitting the fitting customers to make use of it.
Resistance prepare!
We’d even be remiss to say resistance coaching, which helps the event and upkeep of skeletal muscle, particularly when in a optimistic nitrogen surroundings (eg. hold protein consumption excessive).[46] Dieters don’t have to be breaking world data or carrying out Olympic lifts, however they need to work to get their muscle tissues to answer stimulus.
Past the preliminary concepts of protein and fiber, nonetheless, vitamin and mineral consumption will not be satisfactory, and that is the place supplementation is available in. And one mineral specifically aligns terribly nicely with eating regimen.
Chromax Chromium – Nice For Weight-reduction plan, Well being, and Physique Composition
Each time anybody reduces their general caloric consumption — whether or not it’s from GLP-1 use or not — there are further steps past protein consumption that needs to be thought-about. A primary candidate is Chromax (chromium picolinate) from Diet 21.
Helps insulin signaling
GLP-1 agonists are insulinogenic, which is definitely not at all times a nasty factor. Because it seems, these medication solely enhance insulin secretion when blood glucose ranges rise, which is why they may help lower postprandial hyperglycemia with out having an adversarial impact on baseline insulin ranges.[47]
Nonetheless, in an effort to optimize metabolic well being, we would like the physique to make use of insulin as effectively as potential, and that’s the place Chromax is available in.
Ingested chromium binds to a low-molecular-weight peptide complicated known as low-molecular-weight chromium-binding substance (LMWCr). This complicated consists of a number of amino acids that may chelate chromium ions, forming the energetic complicated generally known as chromodulin.[48,49]
Although the precise mechanism by means of which chromium impacts insulin remains to be unknown, one mechanism is assumed to narrate to this chromium-chromodulin interplay. One examine discovered that chromodulin prompts the insulin receptor,[50] in a way that roughly approximates insulin itself – however it additionally amplifies the impact of circulating insulin. One in vitro examine has discovered that chromodulin can enhance insulin’s signaling exercise by an unbelievable 800%.[50] And in terms of stimulating chromodulin exercise, chromium is in a category of its personal – there isn’t any different mineral that’s been proven to have an identical impact on chromodulin.[51]
Thus, Chromax can doubtlessly result in a optimistic impact on selling a wholesome insulin response, and we suspect will probably be for quite a few kinds of dieters, no matter their alternative on GLP-1 medication.
Insulin Resistance, Excessive-Sugar Diets, Stress, and Chromium Availability
Knowledge exhibits that people with extreme insulin resistance have decrease chromium ranges, as measured in hair, sweat, and serum.[52] Further analysis has discovered that these with diets excessive in sugar might have depleted chromium ranges, since its excretion is elevated in these dietary circumstances.[53] Different circumstances, resembling those that are chronically careworn or train too little even have elevated excretion of chromium.[54] Whereas not causal, these knowledge counsel a relationship between carbohydrate metabolism and chromium.
Urge for food Suppression
Different proof means that Chromax might assist wholesome urge for food in dieters.
For instance, in a single randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled examine from 2008, researchers administered Chromax® chromium picolinate to chubby girls. For eight weeks, they acquired both 1,000 mcg of chromium, or a placebo, whereas every group’s caloric consumption was tracked.
By the top of the examine interval, the Chromax® group exhibited considerably much less meals consumption, decreased starvation ranges, and extra particularly, decrease cravings for dietary fats.[55] The Chromax group additionally confirmed decreased physique weight – whereas the placebo group gained a few pound of weight, the Chromax group misplaced about the identical quantity.[55] Whereas these aren’t huge adjustments in weight, the inclusion of Chromax chromium picolinate helped handle points of urge for food which can have helped to assist some weight reduction.
One other, earlier randomized double-blind examine, revealed in 2005, administered both 600 mcg chromium as Chromax chromium picolinate or a placebo to 113 adults with atypical melancholy. It confirmed that chromium ingestion was related to important reductions in urge for food, meals consumption, and carbohydrate cravings, in comparison with the placebo.[56]
It’s attention-grabbing to notice that the primary examine confirmed decrease cravings for dietary fats,[55] whereas the second confirmed decreased carbohydrate cravings.[56] Both route might assist the needle for larger protein consumption, which is one among our major targets for well being and physique composition.
Each of those results are extra closely coated in our article titled “Chromax and Starvation Regulation: The Chromium / Urge for food Connection“. In the end, managing cravings and urge for food whereas weight-reduction plan might be very troublesome for some — and Chromax might assist.
Why Chromax?
After all, if a dieter had been to think about chromium supplementation, one would need to select one of the best type of chromium accessible, and current analysis signifies that one of the best is Chromax from Nutrition21. Two totally different peer-reviewed research have demonstrated that Chromax is as a lot as 15 occasions extra bioavailable than different kinds of chromium.[57,58]
Dosage: 1000 micrograms for urge for food discount
When it comes to dosage, Chromax has been studied in dose ranges offering 200 micrograms to 1000 micrograms of elemental chromium. The 2 research displaying reductions in cravings offered 600 and 1000 micrograms of chromium,[55,56] so we usually go for the upper doses in these purposes.
Conclusion: Both Means, Chromax Has a Place
GLP-1 drugs have varied scientific advantages and have been proven to assist handle urge for food. Whether or not taking these medication or attempting to handle your well being by means of eating regimen and train alone, chromium supplementation might assist dieters obtain their well being targets by selling wholesome physique composition, supporting nutrient metabolism through results on insulin, and even by serving to handle cravings.
Backed by over 25 years of analysis, Chromax — which is made within the USA — has an important place within the well being routines of dieters worldwide.
You’ll be able to learn extra in our articles titled “Chromium Picolinate: The Final Hint Mineral For Insulin Sensitivity“ and “Chromax Chromium Picolinate: 25+ Years of Insulin Sensitivity Enchancment“, and join our Nutrition21 information alerts beneath: