Ozempic May Not Be Helpful If You Continue Emotional Eating: Study

Updated Sep 23, 2025 | 10:00 PM IST

SummaryOzempic has grown immensely in popularity, however, did you know there are certain aspects that can affect how much weight you lose on it. A new study shows that if you are eating to ease your emotional burden, you may not lose as much weight? Here is what you need to know.
Ozempic May Not Be Helpful If You Continue Emotional Eating: Study

(Credit-Canva)

Weight loss dependent on Ozempic has increased immensely, however, does Ozempic work for everyone? A new study showed that people who eat due to extreme emotions actually may not lose weight.

Ozempic and Wegovy are powerful drugs that can help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar and lose weight. But they don't work the same for everyone. A recent study from Japan sheds light on why, suggesting that how you eat, whether it's due to external triggers or emotional feelings, can affect how well these drugs work for you.

How Your Eating Habits Affect Weight Loss On Ozempic

Scientists in Japan followed 92 people with type 2 diabetes for a year after they started taking GLP-1 receptor agonists (like Ozempic). They wanted to see if a person's eating habits had any connection to the success of the treatment. They focused on three eating behaviors:

Emotional eating: Eating in response to feelings like sadness or stress, not because you're hungry.

External eating: Eating because of outside cues, like the sight or smell of delicious food, even if you're not hungry.

Restrained eating: Actively trying to control your diet to lose weight.

After a year, the study found that most people on the drugs lost weight and saw improvements in their body fat and cholesterol. However, when they looked at the different eating behaviors, they found some key differences.

How Do You Lose The Most Weight On Ozempic?

The study found that people who were prone to external eating at the start of the study had the best results in terms of weight loss and blood sugar control. The drugs seemed to be most effective for them over the long term.

On the other hand, the drugs were less effective for people who were prone to emotional eating. The researchers believe this is because emotional eating is tied to psychological factors that the medication doesn't directly address. This suggests that people who eat for emotional reasons might need extra support, like counseling, to see the best results from these drugs.

Dr. Daisuke Yabe, the study's senior author, noted that assessing a patient's eating behaviors before treatment could help doctors predict who will benefit most from these medications.

This was an observational study, which means it can't prove that eating habits directly cause the different outcomes. But the findings are promising and suggest a potential link. More research is needed, but if these results are confirmed in larger studies, doctors might one day use simple questions about eating habits to help personalize treatment plans for people taking drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.

Which Diet Works Best For Ozempic

Your Diet plays a very important role in ensuring how much weight you will lose, even while taking medication like Ozempic. Here is how you maximize the benefits of the same according to American Association of Retired Persons (AARP,

Focus on Nutrient-Rich Foods

Because your appetite will be smaller, every bite counts. Choose whole, unprocessed foods like vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins. This is especially important for older adults who are more prone to vitamin deficiencies.

Don't Skip Meals

The medication can make it easy to forget to eat. To avoid feeling weak or losing muscle, try to schedule your meals or even set an alarm to remind yourself.

Make Protein a Priority

Protein is essential for keeping your muscles strong. Aim for at least 60 grams of protein a day, focusing on sources like chicken, fish, eggs, yogurt, and beans. A good tip is to eat your protein first at every meal.

Stay Hydrated

Drink at least 64 ounces of water or other fluids each day. This helps prevent dehydration and a common side effect: constipation. If you feel tired or get muscle cramps, you might need to add electrolytes to your water.

Avoid Fatty and Sugary Foods

Since the drugs slow down digestion, heavy, greasy foods like French fries and pizza can cause bloating, gas, and an upset stomach. It's also best to limit sugary foods and refined carbs (like white bread) as they can cause blood sugar spikes that make you feel tired and nauseous.

Eat Smaller, More Frequent Meals

Instead of three big meals, try eating smaller portions more often. This gives your body time to properly digest food and can help with nausea and heartburn.

Increase Your Fiber Intake

Constipation affects up to a third of users. To keep things regular, eat plenty of fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and beans. A fiber supplement can also help, especially in the beginning.

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The New Era of Cardiac Care: How Advanced Transplant Techniques are Saving Lives in India

Updated Apr 1, 2026 | 08:38 AM IST

SummaryData from the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) shows a significant year-on-year rise in heart transplants, with 253 transplants done in 2024.
The New Era of Cardiac Care: How Advanced Transplant Techniques are Saving Lives in India

Credit: Canva

Heart failure has quietly emerged as one of India’s most serious and underestimated health challenges, driven by a rise in hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and delayed diagnosis of heart disease.

Due to a shortage of donor organs and a long waiting period before receiving the right treatment, end-stage heart failure patients in India faced a lot of difficulties a few years ago.

Today, advancements in heart transplant techniques are changing the situation from what was once an untreatable condition to a second chance at life.

Data from the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) shows a significant year-on-year rise in heart transplants, with 253 transplants done in 2024, showcasing improved organ donation awareness, better coordination between hospitals, and stronger transplant networks.

What was once considered the only option is now emerging as a life-saving solution, offering patients not just a second chance but a return to a more meaningful and active life.

Why Are Heart Transplants Needed?

A heart transplant offers hope and gives a second life to patients whose hearts no longer support the body even after the best available medical aid.

Although it is never performed instantly, it becomes necessary whenever conditions of the heart result in end-stage heart failure, where the pumping function of the heart is compromised.

Also read: Harish Rana’s Family Donated His Heart Valves And Corneas After His Death From Passive Euthanasia

When medications and modern technologies cannot supply an adequate amount of blood and oxygen to the organs, patients experience extreme breathlessness, fluid buildup, fatigue, and repeated hospitalizations, making even simple activities like walking, eating, or lying flat exhausting.

As the flow of blood continues to deteriorate, failure is also expected in other vital organs such as the kidneys and liver. It is at this point that the transplantation of the donor heart is considered the only treatment option to ensure that the blood flow is normalized.

How Heart Transplantation Transforms Life?

Heart transplant is not just a surgical replacement of a failing organ, but a complete life restoration for patients with end-stage heart failure.

Its benefits include:

  • Normalizes Heart Functioning: A healthy donor heart can immediately restore normal and effective blood flow. This will reduce weakness and fatigue that makes carrying out everyday tasks rather difficult.
  • Enhances Survival Rates: Patients diagnosed with end-stage heart failure can only experience the best post-transplant survival outcomes when they undergo the transplant procedure as compared to other medical treatments.
  • Enhances Quality of Life: The patients are able to attain independence once again as they are able to walk, sleep, travel, and socialize with their families and friends.
  • Prevents Frequent Hospitalization: The successful transplant procedure prevents constant hospitalization, especially in cases with deteriorating heart failure, infections, and organ dysfunction.
  • Protects Other Vital Organs: By restoring adequate blood flow, heart transplantation helps reverse damage to the kidneys, liver, and lungs caused by prolonged heart failure
  • Permits Return to Normal Roles and Responsibilities: Patients regain their ability to work, take care of others, and carry out their daily responsibilities, which helps their emotional well-being.

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Olympic Legend Liz McCollgan Warns Athletes To Protect Skin From Sun

Updated Apr 1, 2026 | 10:29 AM IST

SummaryLiz McCollgan urged all athletes to take sun protection seriously at all times — during training, racing, or even just spending time outdoors. Sunscreen must be made part of a daily skincare routine, as it can prevent skin cancer, premature aging, and painful sunburns.
Olympic Legend Liz McCollgan Warns Athletes To Protect Skin From Sun

Credit: Liz McCollgan/Instagram

Scottish Olympic legend Liz McColgan has warned athletes to wear sun protection during their training hours to protect their skin from “lasting consequences”.

Liz McColgan shared the health warning to athletes after undergoing surgery to remove lesions on her face.

The Olympic silver medalist from Dundee shared post-surgery photographs on the social media platform Instagram and lamented that, as a young runner, she never focused on wearing sun protection.

Avoiding sun cream because she felt it made her "sweat more" was her “ignorance”, said the 61-year-old former athlete.

“As a young athlete, I trained and raced in all weathers. Sun protection was never something I gave much thought to. In fact, I avoided it. I didn’t like the feeling of creams on my skin - I thought they made me sweat more, so I convinced myself I was better off without them. Looking back, that was ignorance,” Liz McColgan said.

“Recently, I had to undergo surgery to remove two lesions on my face. It was a stark reminder that the choices we make early on - especially the ones we dismiss as unimportant - can have lasting consequences,” she added.

Liz McColgan noted that athletes keep all their focus on "performance - mileage, sessions, recovery, nutrition”, but simple things like protecting their skin are often ignored.

“Yet it’s just as much a part of our overall health and wellbeing as any training session,” she said.

Sharing the health message to both young and old athletes, McColgan said, “Take sun protection seriously. Whether you’re training, racing, or even just spending time outdoors, protecting your skin matters.”

McColgan won a silver medal in the same event at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. In 1991, she went on to win the 10,000m World Championships title in Tokyo.

Also read:5 Simple Do's And Don'ts For Healthy Skin

Why Sunscreen Is Essential

Using sunscreen protects the skin from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which causes

  • skin cancer,
  • premature aging,
  • painful sunburns.
It is always best to apply a sunscreen with an SPF 50+. A cream is better than a spray, and must also be reapplied every two hours.

Should Sunscreen Be Used Indoors Too?

Sunscreen is meant to be part of a daily skincare routine. But most people reach for sunscreen when heading to the beach or stepping out for a long day in the sun.

According to dermatologists, sunlight can still reach you indoors.

Dr Khushboo Jha, Chief Dermatologist Consultant at Metro Hospital, explains that sunlight entering through windows can still affect the skin.

“While standard window glass blocks most UVB rays, which cause sunburn, UVA rays can still pass through. These rays penetrate deeper into the skin and are linked to long-term concerns such as premature aging, uneven pigmentation, and loss of skin elasticity,” she said.

These UVA rays are often overlooked because they do not cause immediate redness or burning like UVB rays. However, over time, they can lead to visible signs of skin aging and pigmentation.

Also read: Why Should You Must Apply Sunscreen Inside A Plane?

A Practical Approach To Daily Skincare

Dermatologists suggest viewing sunscreen as a preventive skincare habit rather than a rigid rule.

Dr Jha recommends incorporating sunscreen into your morning routine, particularly if your day includes stepping outdoors or spending time in naturally lit environments.

In simple terms, if daylight reaches your workspace or you plan to go outside later in the day, applying sunscreen in the morning is a small step that can help protect your skin over time.

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Why Many Older Men Struggle to Conceive Despite ‘Good Health’

Updated Mar 31, 2026 | 09:00 PM IST

SummaryInfertility is a cause of concern not just for women but for men as well - yet, in case of men, factors like low sperm count and stress can weaken fertility over time.
infertility in men

Chronic stress can take a toll on sperm count. (Photo credit: iStock)

Many men believe that as long as they feel healthy, active, and free from major illness, their fertility remains intact. While men do not have a sudden fertility cut-off like women, age still plays an important role when it comes to male fertility. Currently, a large number of men wish to start families later in life, often thinking their good health guarantees easy conception and fatherhood. They often neglect the age factor, even though it is linked to hormonal imbalance, stress, and genetic issues. A large number of men are unaware of their fertility health and continue to suffer. However, even in the absence of visible health problems, older men may face unexpected fertility challenges. Dr Madhukar J Shinde, Fertility Specialist at Nova IVF Fertility, PCMC, Pune, answered this for Health and Me.

Read more: The Overlooked Role of Men in IVF: Why Their Silent Strength Is Key to Fertility Success

Why do older men struggle with infertility?

Decline in sperm quality: Various studies have confirmed that as men age, sperm count, movement, and shape can slowly decline. Even if the numbers appear normal, DNA damage in sperm increases with age, which can reduce the chances of successful fertilisation.

  1. Hormonal imbalance: It is important to note that testosterone levels naturally decrease over time. Lower testosterone can affect sperm production, sexual function, and overall reproductive performance, even when a man feels physically fit.
  2. Some medical conditions tend to take a toll on fertility: Conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and thyroid disorders become more common with age. These may be well-managed and symptom-free, but can still affect sperm health and fertility.
  3. Stress and other lifestyle factors can impact fertility: Chronic stress, lack of sleep, smoking, alcohol consumption, or exposure to pollution can take a toll on sperm quality and lead to fertility issues that can be worrisome for men. Preservatives in a lot of frozen and junk food not only contribute to poor fertility health, but research suggests they may also affect DNA function. Therefore, men should stay vigilant.
  4. Genetic issues: Advanced paternal age is associated with a higher risk of genetic mutations in sperm. This can further affect embryo development and increase the risk of miscarriage or certain developmental conditions.

Men must stay in touch with a fertility consultant who can design an appropriate treatment plan. The expert will evaluate them thoroughly and suggest lifestyle modifications such as a well-balanced diet, exercise, stress management through meditation, and medication for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and cholesterol. Awareness helps men take informed steps towards parenthood, even later in life. Certain pre-medications, including antioxidants advised by a fertility consultant, may significantly help in reducing DNA fragmentation, which contributes to poor sperm function. Therefore, men should prioritise their reproductive health, stay informed, and not suffer in silence.

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