With a large percentage of Americans being overweight or obese, many are pursuing weight loss programmes — some with the help of ever-popular GLP-1 medications.
The rise of drugs such as Ozempic has reinvigorated discussions about weight loss in the US and shone a spotlight on the importance of taking a holistic approach and the importance of maintaining proper body composition, such as preserving muscle mass, which can suffer with the use of GLP-1 medications.
GLP-1 drugs continue to grow in popularity as users see results, causing both brands and consumers to consider dietary supplements that can help to manage their side-effects or as an alternative solution to managing weight.
It’s forecasted that, by 2035, more than four billion people — more than half the global population — will be obese.1 Obesity is a growing problem, so medications such GLP-1 drugs that show promise in terms of supporting significant weight loss are here to stay.
In fact, research predicts that by 2030 there will be 30 million American GLP-1 users — approximately 9% of the country’s total population.2
Maintaining an ideal body composition and retaining muscle mass is important throughout all weight loss journeys, which is being highlighted by the results obtained with GLP-1 drugs.
For example, in a 69-week clinical trial of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, participants lost approximately 15 pounds of lean muscle and 23 pounds of fat.3
This loss of muscle mass impacts more than appearance as it results in increased frailty and reduced mobility, increasing the risk of injury and bone fractures.
Although these medications show promising outcomes for reductions in body weight, they come with a range of challenges such as cost, availability, limited long-term safety profiles and side effects … so they’re not a fit for all consumers.
Nevertheless, a proper approach to long-term weight management requires several approaches, often in combination, for optimal success.
Whereas medications can work for some, they don’t for others. And, regardless of the use of medications, all weight loss programmes should include a focus on exercise and nutrition — including the use of dietary supplements — to support and improve overall health.
“Dieting should not just focus on weight lost … but on the overall health of a person,” said Jordan Miller, Vice President, Marketing, Nutrition21. “Weight loss programmes without a focus on holistic health run the risk of impacting overall wellness, by diminishing muscle mass for example."
"It’s critical for consumers to find solutions that allow them to lose the weight while maintaining lean muscle mass for long-term success and continued health. Weight loss programmes that only focus on calorie reduction often leave gaps in nutrition, which can be filled by supplements.”
Medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy are not single-step solutions to healthy weight loss.
As has been advised by medical experts for decades, healthy diet and exercise are crucial to maintaining a healthy weight … and this rings true even when taking GLP-1 medications. But maintaining good nutrition and proper body composition can be a challenge, particularly when cutting calories.
Incorporating a dietary supplement with science-backed ingredients can also play a part in a weight loss programme.
When used together with a healthy approach to diet and exercise, Chromax by Nutrition21 has been shown to help users maintain lean muscle mass, support healthy carbohydrate and glucose metabolism, while also helping to manage cravings and appetite.
Incorporating Chromax into metabolic health and weight management supplements is an attractive option to help users lose fat, not muscle.
It has been extensively studied and is supported by more than a dozen clinical studies, making it the most clinically tested form of chromium picolinate on the market. It is safe and effective with GRAS status and is proven to offer superior bioavailability compared with other forms of chromium.4
“As many Americans pursue multiple efforts to lose weight, the need for additional supplements to fill a variety of nutritional and wellness gaps is coming into the spotlight, such as protein for satiety and muscle support, herbs and botanicals to support the stress response and promote a healthy insulin response, and often overlooked nutrients such as chromium that can help to support metabolism and muscle retention during weight loss,” said Miller.
“Yet, when consumers think of weight loss supplements, they often picture fat burning fads and diet pills, which are often ineffective and sometimes dangerous. We strive to reframe the mindset when it comes to supplements that contain ingredients such as Chromax to position them as a way to fill gaps and support a successful weight loss journey for consumers.”
Chromax has been clinically tested and proven to provide multiple metabolic health benefits. Brands seeking to develop new supplement options to support weight management efforts, whether using medications or not, can utilise this ingredient to formulate dietary supplements with substantiated claims, including the following:
- helps to maintain muscle mass while you lose weight5
- helps to improve body composition as you lose weight6
- can support healthy blood sugar levels (by promoting healthy insulin function)7,8
- helps to manage carb cravings and appetite.9,10
“Chromax is clinically backed and shown to provide multiple benefits,” said Miller. “Working together with diet and exercise, it can help consumers as they work towards their health and wellness goals in a safe and effective way.”
This most clinically tested form of chromium picolinate is USP-grade and easily incorporated into a variety of dietary supplement and functional food/beverage applications, including nutritional bars, ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, powders, tablets, capsules, gummies and gels.
References
- https://data.worldobesity.org/publications/WOF-Obesity-Atlas-V5.pdf.
- www.jpmorgan.com/insights/global-research/current-events/obesity-drugs#:~:text=What's%20driving%20the%20increase%20in,by%20diabetes%20and%20obesity%20usage.
- https://fortune.com/well/2023/09/27/weight-loss-drugs-ozempic-wegovy-risks-for-people-over-65/.
- www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0946672X07000077?via%3Dihub.
- www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0011393X96800804?via%3Dihub.
- https://doi.org/10.1016/s0011-393x(98)85040-6.
- www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955286398000436.
- B Morris, et al., “Enhancement in Insulin Sensitivity in Healthy Volunteers Following Supplementation with Chromium Picolinate,” Med. Biochem. 1, 65–72 (1998).
- https://doi.org/10.1089/dia.2007.0292/https://doi.org/10.1097/00131746-200509000-00004.
- https://doi.org/10.1016/s0006-3223(02)01500-7.