Weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy could ease Yom Kippur fast experience
Research suggests that weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may help individuals manage hunger during religious fasts like Yom Kippur. While the medication reduces appetite, evidence remains limited regarding the safety and feasibility of using these drugs specifically for prolonged fasting.
Why it matters
As the use of GLP-1 agonists grows, understanding their impact on metabolic health during extreme dietary changes is increasingly relevant for public health and religious observance.
Weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy could make fasting feel easier for some people by reducing hunger and food cravings, research suggested, although evidence that they help people comfortably complete a prolonged fast remained limited.The question is especially relevant ahead of Yom Kippur, when observant Jews abstain from food and drink for about 25 hours. It also extends to Muslims fasting during Ramadan and people following intermittent-fasting diets.Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, acts on pathways involved in appetite regulation. For someone already taking the medication, feeling less hungry could make the hours without food more manageable. How that translates into the experience of a full day of fasting requires closer examination.A 2017 randomized trial involving 30 adults with obesity offered evidence relevant to that question.
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