Credits: Health and me
By now most people are familiar with the popular weight loss injection Ozempic—the so-called miracle shot for weight loss that's got everyone talking, from celebs to your next-door neighbor. But while the number on the scale might be dropping, something else is happening too… and it’s a little bizarre.
Ever scrolled through TikTok and stumbled on people talking about “Ozempic hands”? Or read wild claims about sudden growth in places you didn’t expect? Yep, that’s all part of it. And just when you thought it couldn’t get weirder—there are whispers about vision loss, creepy-looking fingers, and even “walking dead” hands. Sure, Ozempic helps you shed pounds fast. But at what cost?
If you’ve been curious, concerned, or just downright confused about what this drug is really doing behind the scenes, buckle up—we’re diving into the strangest, scariest, and most surprising side effects people are reporting. Let’s talk about what no one told you before you got the jab.
Once hailed as a miracle for weight loss and diabetes management, Ozempic (semaglutide) is now under scrutiny for a growing list of bizarre and disturbing side effects. While the drug continues to dominate the market for its ability to help people shed up to 20% of their body weight in a year, disturbing new reports have surfaced. From surprising anatomical changes to eye strokes and skeletal hands, the downsides of this blockbuster injection are no longer whispered rumors—they're headlining forums, social media, and even regulatory reports.
Also Read: Ozempic Vulva To Ozempic Smell – Unexpected Ways Of Weight Loss Jabs Change Your Body
One of the most viral and eyebrow-raising claims is the supposed enlargement of the penis in men taking Ozempic. Reddit threads have buzzed with firsthand accounts of users noticing visible growth. One user wrote, "I recently measured myself down there and noticed I gained about one inch."
While there is no solid scientific study directly linking semaglutide to penile growth, experts suspect the phenomenon may be tied more to fat loss than actual tissue increase. As men lose significant weight—especially in the pubic region—the buried portion of the penis becomes more visible, creating the illusion of increased size. Still, the global trend is puzzling: the UK saw average sizes increase from 5.17 to 5.63 inches between 2022 and 2024, with Venezuelan men reporting an even more staggering jump from 1.42 to 6.67 inches.
While these figures are alarming, the truth may be buried in overlapping factors like obesity reduction, changes in prostate health, and increased sexual function—rather than Ozempic alone.
What may be even more serious than Reddit threads is what regulators are now confirming: Ozempic may cause a rare yet dangerous eye condition known as non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recently asked Novo Nordisk, Ozempic’s manufacturer, to list NAION as a rare side effect in their drug information.
The condition is the second most common cause of vision loss due to optic nerve damage, trailing only glaucoma. It is believed to affect as many as 1 in 10,000 users of semaglutide after a year of use. Alarmingly, a 2023 study involving nearly 350,000 diabetic patients found that those using semaglutide had more than double the risk of developing NAION.
While Novo Nordisk maintains that its drug's benefit-risk profile remains favorable, doctors and analysts warn that continued monitoring and patient awareness are critical.
Beyond internal risks, Ozempic is transforming bodies in eerie, visible ways. Welcome to the world of "Ozempic hands," "Ozempic feet," and "Ozempic face."
Ozempic hands refer to the skeletal, aged appearance some users develop due to rapid subcutaneous fat loss in the fingers and palms. This phenomenon gained traction after several viral TikTok videos and celebrity photos pointed out the dramatically thinned hands of public figures rumored to be on weight-loss jabs.

People report needing to resize wedding rings, and in some cases, cosmetic procedures like hand fillers are being considered to combat the bony transformation. The same process is evident in the feet, with sagging skin and even discomfort in walking being reported.
Experts explain that these injections don’t just target fat in one part of your body. When you lose weight this quickly, your face, your hands, your feet—everything shows it.
The "melting candle" look is another post-weight loss dilemma facing Ozempic users. With such dramatic fat loss, many people are left with drooping excess skin that doesn’t snap back. Surgeons report a boom in body contouring surgeries such as tummy tucks, thigh lifts, and arm lifts.
"It’s not just vanity," says one bariatric surgeon. "Excess skin can lead to hygiene issues, infections, and mobility challenges."
In many cases, the only solution is surgery—an expensive, invasive, and sometimes risky route. Procedures can cost thousands of dollars and carry their own set of complications, including blood clots and infection.
Ozempic and its sister drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro are rapidly becoming household names. In the UK alone, over 350,000 people are now prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonists, with another half a million believed to be using them privately. In the US, about 13% of the population—around 33 million people—have tried the injections.
With newer policies allowing GPs in the UK to prescribe these drugs without requiring specialist consultations, usage is expected to soar. But so too are concerns about long-term side effects.
There’s no denying that Ozempic and related medications have transformed lives by aiding weight loss and managing type 2 diabetes. Many users experience improved cardiovascular outcomes, better blood sugar control, and renewed energy but as the side effects multiply—ranging from the bizarre (penis changes) to the debilitating (eye strokes and excess skin)—patients and healthcare providers must weigh these drugs' promises against their perils.
Credits: Public Domain
Adolf Hitler may have lived with a rare genetic disorder known as Kallmann Syndrome, according to researchers and documentary producers who carried out DNA testing on what they say is the Nazi leader’s blood. The Cleveland Clinic notes that this condition can interfere with the start of puberty and may result in traits such as undescended testicles and a micropenis.
The new findings also rule out a long-standing rumor that Hitler had Jewish heritage, the research team said.
For decades, wartime songs and jokes poked fun at Hitler’s genitalia, though none of those claims had scientific support. Now, an international group of historians and scientists believes their results strengthen theories about abnormalities in his sexual development.
Alex Kay of the University of Potsdam said the diagnosis could help explain Hitler’s lifelong distance from women and his probable lack of intimate relationships. “No one has really been able to account for his discomfort with women,” Kay noted, as per CBS News, “If he had Kallmann Syndrome, this may offer the explanation that has been missing.”
The full findings appear in an upcoming documentary titled Hitler’s DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator.
Kallmann syndrome is an inherited condition in which puberty is either greatly delayed or does not begin at all, and the affected person also has a reduced or absent sense of smell. It stems from a shortfall of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), a key hormone that signals the body to start puberty and develop sexual characteristics.
In this disorder, certain neurons that should move from the nasal region to the brain during early development do not reach their destination. As a result, the sense of smell is impaired and the olfactory bulbs remain poorly formed. The syndrome may appear alongside other birth defects and is seen far more often in males.
As per The Guardian, according to the team, the genetic material was taken from a fragment of fabric believed to come from the sofa where Hitler killed himself. Their analysis pointed to a high likelihood of Kallmann Syndrome.
Britain’s Guardian, which reviewed the documentary, cautioned that the researchers were unable to collect new DNA from any of Hitler’s surviving relatives in Austria or the United States. Those family members, the newspaper said, declined participation because they wished to avoid publicity.
Producers at Blink Films, which created the documentary, reported that the DNA sample showed unusually high polygenic risk scores for autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. The Guardian highlighted that many experts remain skeptical of using these scores to comment on an individual’s mental health risk.
David Curtis, an honorary professor at University College London’s Genetics Institute, told the newspaper that such scores speak to trends in large groups, not to precise predictions about one person. Even someone in the highest percentile may still face only a small actual chance of developing a condition.
The research team added that even if Hitler had these predispositions, they could not excuse or rationalize his political decisions or the atrocities carried out under his command. World War II claimed more than 50 million lives, including six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.
Geneticist Turi King, known for identifying the remains of King Richard III and who contributed to this project, remarked that the results place Hitler among the groups targeted by his own eugenics policies. “If he had been able to examine his own DNA,” she said, “he almost certainly would have condemned himself.”
The study also challenges the rumor that Hitler’s paternal grandmother became pregnant by a Jewish employer. According to the production team, Y chromosome evidence matches that of Hitler’s known male-line relative, which would not have been possible if the pregnancy had resulted from an unrelated man.
The myth resurfaced in 2022 when Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, invoked it while defending the invasion of Ukraine and repeating the Kremlin’s claim that its goal was to “denazify” a country led by Jewish president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Credits: Canva
Most people use tinned food at least once a week. The products are easy to store, last a long time and usually cost less than fresh items. Even so, a medical expert is asking shoppers to avoid eating food from a can in certain situations.
Now, a doctor has shared a serious warning about the risks linked to opening a dented tin. These damaged cans often show up in shops after being dropped or knocked during transport, then placed back on the shelf. An environmental medicine specialist strongly advises leaving them behind.
In a video, Dr Ashley Ennedy, who specialises in environmental medicine explained that dents may look harmless but can lead to severe illness. She added that a person could even become paralysed after eating food from a damaged can.
When a can is dented near the seams, the seal can weaken and allow clostridium botulinum to grow inside. This bacterium creates toxins that affect the nervous system.
The size and position of the dent play the biggest role, according to Toby Amidor, M.S., RD, a dietitian, food safety specialist and cookbook writer. She explained that dents often come from cans being dropped or struck. If the damage lies along the seam, bacteria can enter and place someone at risk. In that case, it is safer to throw the can away.
If the dent is tiny and the rest of the can looks sound, the contents are usually fine to eat. A small bend in a safe spot on a tuna tin, for example, can be inspected and used if everything inside appears normal.
Larger dents are another matter. A deep dent is one you can press a finger into, Amidor said. Cans with deep dents or dents on the seam should always be discarded.
Botulism is a rare yet dangerous illness caused by a toxin released by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The toxin attacks the nerves and may lead to muscle weakness, paralysis, and trouble breathing. The infection can appear in several forms, including foodborne, infant, and wound botulism. Treatment usually involves an antitoxin that helps stop the toxin from causing more harm.
The CDC notes that all types of botulism can be fatal and require immediate medical care. Symptoms linked to the toxin may include:
Clostridium botulinum produces the toxin responsible for botulism as part of its anaerobic growth process. This means it multiplies in places where oxygen is absent, such as the inside of a sealed can.
In the past, home-canning mistakes were a major cause of illness. People sometimes skipped steps or did not heat the jars enough to destroy spores. Once sealed, the bacteria could grow and release the toxin.
Better commercial canning methods and stronger food safety rules have made canned food outbreaks uncommon today. Even so, people are still encouraged to avoid dented tins as a precaution.
Credits: Canva
Prevalence of hypertension, or high blood pressure, among children and teenagers has almost doubled over the past two decades, rising from 3.2% in 2000 to more than 6% in 2020, according to a global analysis published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal. If left unchecked, high blood pressure can lead to serious problems such as cardiovascular disease and kidney damage.
Estimates also suggest that nearly one in five children and adolescents living with obesity have hypertension—roughly eight times higher than among those at a healthy weight (2.4%), researchers, including those from the University of Edinburgh in the UK, said. But what is driving this worrying trend?
The global rate of high blood pressure among children and teenagers has nearly doubled due to a dangerous mix of poor diets, low physical activity, and rising obesity levels, according to the largest review of its kind.
Health experts warned that 114 million children who have developed hypertension before reaching adulthood face potentially lifelong health risks, including cardiovascular disease, kidney problems, and other serious complications.
The prevalence of high blood pressure in those under 19 increased to 6.2%, up from 3.2% in just 20 years. The findings are based on a meta-analysis of 96 studies covering more than 400,000 children across 21 countries and were published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.
The review highlighted obesity as a major driver of the sharp rise in childhood hypertension, with nearly 19% of children with obesity affected compared with less than 3% of those at a healthy weight.
“The near doubling of childhood high blood pressure over two decades should be a wake-up call for doctors and caregivers alike,” said study author Prof Igor Rudan, director of the Centre for Global Health Research at Edinburgh University’s Usher Institute, as per CNN.
The study also found that an additional 8.2% of children and teenagers have prehypertension, meaning their blood pressure is higher than normal but does not yet meet the criteria for hypertension.
Doctors noted that blood pressure tends to rise sharply in early adolescence, peaking around age 14, especially in boys. This underscores the importance of regular screening during these critical years.
Encouraging healthy habits, such as a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while limiting salt and sugar intake, can greatly reduce the risk of hypertension. Regular physical activity and limiting sedentary behaviours, including too much screen time, are also key.
For families with a history of high blood pressure, regular monitoring at home is strongly recommended. Early detection of elevated blood pressure can help reduce the risk of long-term complications.
The good news is that obesity-related high blood pressure can be reversed. However, Prof Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer of the British Heart Foundation stressed that governments must also take action to prevent childhood obesity in the first place. “This includes expanding restrictions on advertising unhealthy foods and exploring ways to encourage the food industry to make everyday products healthier.”
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