Ozempic is now surging in popularity in the oil-rich region, where obesity rates are among the highest in the world — driven by near-universal access to cars, punishing heat that keeps people indoors and the increasing prevalence of processed foods. Thirty-one percent of men and 44 percent of women in the United Arab Emirates live with obesity, according to the Global Nutrition Report, while in Qatar, the figures are 36 percent for men and 46 percent for women.
“The trend is going more and more for the pharmacological weight-reduction medications,” said Adil Sajwani, a family medicine consultant physician in Dubai who prescribes Ozempic and similar drugs “on a daily basis,” following U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines. Because of this new trend, “the rate of bariatric surgery is going down worldwide and even here in the UAE,” he said, referring to gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries.
This is the bit that really caught my attention. Bariatric surgery is one of those "lesser of two evils"-type treatments that carries life-long consequences. This dropping rate of surgery opens up...
Because of this new trend, “the rate of bariatric surgery is going down worldwide and even here in the UAE,” he said, referring to gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries.
This is the bit that really caught my attention. Bariatric surgery is one of those "lesser of two evils"-type treatments that carries life-long consequences. This dropping rate of surgery opens up a whole new angle to the Ozempic issue and reframes it as something more complex than just "rich people getting ready for bikini season at the expense of diabetes patients".
I was initially quite skeptical of these oncoming weight-loss drugs for a number of reasons, such as side effects and limited long-term changes. Now my opinion has shifted somewhat. I'm definitely...
I was initially quite skeptical of these oncoming weight-loss drugs for a number of reasons, such as side effects and limited long-term changes. Now my opinion has shifted somewhat. I'm definitely still waiting to see results from longitudinal studies, but it seems that these medications may offer a shortcut towards the decline of obesity. Part of my change in mindset was this video from Adam Ragusea, a journalist and food YouTuber. He's not an expert, but his ability for good research, transparency, and communication is top-notch, so I do put stock in the information he provides. More needs to be done, of course. Better regulations around the quality and content of processed foods is deeply important. A decrease in car-dependency and return of walking and biking would be helpful to many waistlines. Still, these drugs offer an attractive, and more importantly real, solution for many people.
Unrelated 'fun' fact: vitamin D deficiency became endemic among Arab women in the modern era. The traditional Arabic house typology had a courtyard where women didn't wear their entire dress. But...
Unrelated 'fun' fact: vitamin D deficiency became endemic among Arab women in the modern era. The traditional Arabic house typology had a courtyard where women didn't wear their entire dress.
But modern homes in the Middle East with air conditioning are fully enclosed. So now Arab women don't get enough sunlight inside or outside the home.
From the article:
This is the bit that really caught my attention. Bariatric surgery is one of those "lesser of two evils"-type treatments that carries life-long consequences. This dropping rate of surgery opens up a whole new angle to the Ozempic issue and reframes it as something more complex than just "rich people getting ready for bikini season at the expense of diabetes patients".
I was initially quite skeptical of these oncoming weight-loss drugs for a number of reasons, such as side effects and limited long-term changes. Now my opinion has shifted somewhat. I'm definitely still waiting to see results from longitudinal studies, but it seems that these medications may offer a shortcut towards the decline of obesity. Part of my change in mindset was this video from Adam Ragusea, a journalist and food YouTuber. He's not an expert, but his ability for good research, transparency, and communication is top-notch, so I do put stock in the information he provides. More needs to be done, of course. Better regulations around the quality and content of processed foods is deeply important. A decrease in car-dependency and return of walking and biking would be helpful to many waistlines. Still, these drugs offer an attractive, and more importantly real, solution for many people.
Unrelated 'fun' fact: vitamin D deficiency became endemic among Arab women in the modern era. The traditional Arabic house typology had a courtyard where women didn't wear their entire dress.
But modern homes in the Middle East with air conditioning are fully enclosed. So now Arab women don't get enough sunlight inside or outside the home.