In a shocking series of events, the highly trending worlds of deep fake artificial intelligence and weight loss drugs collided to produce a video of Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman and Managing Director, Medanta Hospitals promoting an anti-obesity medicine. The video was created using deepfake technology, depicting Dr Trehan's appearance on a television programme where he appears to endorse a weight loss drug.
Following a complaint from Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon authorities have initiated legal action against ‘unknown individuals’ who circulated the video on Facebook. Additionally, the hospital chain also issued a notice disassociating from the fake video, stating “Usage of any such medication without physician prescription may be harmful and is at an individual’s own risk and responsibility.”
— Medanta (@medanta) March 15, 2024
The video of Dr Trehan, who is a big and trusted name in the medical field, has raised concerns about the potential misuse of artificial intelligence. However, another problematic trend that sheds light on now, is the use of weight loss drugs, which have been getting popular following celebrity endorsements.
It might not come as a surprise, but these weight loss or appetite-suppressing drugs can be very dangerous to your health. To know about the same, the OnlyMyHealth team spoke to Dr Rajiv Kovil, Head of Diabetology, Zandra Healthcare and Co-Founder, Rang De Neela initiative.
Is It Safe To Use Over-The-Counter Weight Loss Drugs?
Dr Kovil strongly suggested, “Weight or obesity is a medical disorder. It cannot be linked to wellness where patients or people with obesity directly go and purchase a product for losing weight. That's just not done!”
“Overweight or obesity has to be medically evaluated. So whether it's Ozempic or any other such weight loss product, it has to be taken under strict medical supervision. Although it's approved in some parts of the world, it's not approved in India. It's not yet marketed in the country,” he added.
He shared that there are certain health problems in which using such weight loss drugs can be extremely dangerous:
- History of pancreatitis
- Gallstone disease
- Diseases that have affected your retina
- Upper Gastrointestinal (GI) problems like an ulcer, severe gastritis, or severe constipation.
“In these cases, weight loss drugs should not be prescribed,” he said. However, this indication goes out of the window if people start purchasing weight loss drugs Over The Counter (OTC) and do not need any prescriptions.
Side Effects of Weight Loss Drugs
One negative effect of OTC weight loss drugs is that these drugs do not have severe short-term side effects per se. “The short-term side effects are constipation, severe loss of appetite, and upper GI discomfort,” said Dr Kovil.
But the problem is that these drugs are for long-term use, and in some cases, may even be required lifelong. “Studies have shown that people gain more than 50% of their weight, within one year of stopping these weight loss drugs. This is because being overweight or obese is like diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, where medications and lifestyle go hand in hand, and lifelong management is required, otherwise, these conditions will reappear.”
Additionally, a study published in JAMA Network looked at the long-term effects of weight loss drugs and found a link to a higher risk of pancreatitis, gastroparesis, and bowel obstruction.
Dr Trehan’s viral video is a perfect example of why we need to be educated and aware of health and wellness topics, especially when dubious medicines are being promoted to us. Since weight loss drugs are being widely used now and widely promoted, people considering them for weight loss should be aware of these rare but serious side effects. Taking over-the-counter medications without proper prescription can be life-threatening. Dr Kovil rightly said that obesity is not a wellness topic, it is a disease, and you must consult a doctor to help you manage it.