As a teen and into her 20s, Debra Wells-Hopey bought womenSA国际影视传媒檚 magazines by the dozen and devoured all the articles about weight loss she could find.

She tried diet after diet and counted every calorie. When a diet finally worked, Wells-Hopey kept restricting her food intake until she found herself in the throes of anorexia nervosa.

Had Ozempic been around in her dieting days back in the 1980s and SA国际影视传媒�90s, the Halifax woman, now 53, believes she would have taken it.

SA国际影视传媒淚t wonSA国际影视传媒檛 cause an eating disorder because eating disorders are more complicated than that SA国际影视传媒� thereSA国际影视传媒檚 social, psychological and biological stuff going on,SA国际影视传媒� Wells-Hopey said.

But the act of restricting food often SA国际影视传媒減ulls the triggerSA国际影视传媒� for people prone to eating disorders SA国际影视传媒� so for them, Ozempic could be SA国际影视传媒渁 one-way fast-track ticket,SA国际影视传媒� said Wells-Hopey, who recovered with hospital treatment and is now a program manager for Eating Disorders Nova Scotia.

The mass promotion of Ozempic and its sister drugs is feeding into a harmful SA国际影视传媒渄iet cultureSA国际影视传媒� and weight shaming in Canada, some eating disorders specialists say.

SA国际影视传媒淎ny time thereSA国际影视传媒檚 mass media coverage about different strategies SA国际影视传媒� to achieve short-term weight loss, that is obviously going to be something that is a trigger for our patients and clients,SA国际影视传媒� said Ali Eberhardt, a dietitian with B.C.SA国际影视传媒檚 provincial eating disorders program at St. PaulSA国际影视传媒檚 Hospital in Vancouver.

SA国际影视传媒淎ny time we have a lot of coverage about the idea that we will pursue thinness at any cost, it has detrimental mental and emotional impact.SA国际影视传媒�

Manufactured by Novo Nordisk, Ozempic is an injection approved by Health Canada for treating Type 2 diabetes. Its sister drug, Wegovy, has been approved for treating obesity but is not yet available in Canada. Because the active ingredient SA国际影视传媒� semaglutide SA国际影视传媒� is the same in both medications, some Canadian doctors have prescribed Ozempic off-label at higher doses for patients with obesity.

Endocrinologists, who specialize in metabolic disorders, have said that when prescribed for weight loss,both drugs are meant to treat obesity that threatens a patientSA国际影视传媒檚 health due to risks of cardiovascular disease and other concerns SA国际影视传媒� not as a quick-fix way to trim down or get into shape. They have also said that people with obesity need to stay on the drugs for life.

Novo Nordisk has previously said that it does not endorse off-label use of Ozempic for weight loss.

But eating disorders specialists say OzempicSA国际影视传媒檚 widespread promotion reinforces the message that weight loss should always be a goal. The drug is promoted in TV ads,on billboards, streetcar wraps and during sports games, and has also received unofficial endorsements from influencers online.

Health Canada has said that Novo Nordisk is in compliance with drug advertising regulations, because the ads give the drugSA国际影视传媒檚 name but do not say what it is for. Instead, the Ozempic ads tell people to SA国际影视传媒渁sk your doctor.SA国际影视传媒�

But health experts have also said the ads, social media promotion and media coverage are so widespread that people know Ozempic is used for weight loss.

SA国际影视传媒�(Ozempic promotion is) just another example of how diet culture is telling us that we should lose weight if we can because living in a larger body is a bad thing. And thatSA国际影视传媒檚 what keeps us in a cycle of diet culture,SA国际影视传媒� Wells-Hopey said.

Although Ozempic and Wegovy are only approved for adult use, advertising has also appeared in Canada for Saxenda, another drug manufactured by Novo Nordisk that works in a similar way to suppress appetite. Saxenda has been approved by Health Canada not only for adults, but also for children between 12 and 17 years of age who have obesity.

In a recent emailed statement to The Canadian Press, Novo Nordisk said Saxenda is only intended for adolescents with obesity who SA国际影视传媒渕eet specific requirementsSA国际影视传媒� and that its ongoing Saxenda marketing campaign is SA国际影视传媒渋ntended for an adult audience.SA国际影视传媒�

Teens particularly vulnerable

Still, eating disorders specialists say the promotion of a weight-loss drug that is approved for teens is concerning.

SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 young people who come in lots of different shapes and sizes,SA国际影视传媒� said Dr. Leanna Isserlin, a psychiatrist with the eating disorders program at Ottawa pediatric hospital CHEO.

SA国际影视传媒淥nce you start inserting this thinking and advertising around the importance of weight loss, you start to cause people to think more about their weight and potentially be SA国际影视传媒� ashamed or concerned or think that they need to change their weight using a medication as opposed to lifestyle changes,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

SA国际影视传媒淎dolescents are very vulnerable to messaging and media messages, so theySA国际影视传媒檙e a very high-risk population to begin with,SA国际影视传媒� Isserlin said.

SA国际影视传媒淪ometimes they can feel because they see it everywhere SA国际影视传媒� it must be safe. Or (because) itSA国际影视传媒檚 everywhere it must be a really good thing.SA国际影视传媒�

Eberhardt, the dietitian in Vancouver, agreed.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e seeing eating disorders and body image concerns impacting, you know, kids younger and younger and younger,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

SA国际影视传媒�(Society is) saying SA国际影视传媒榶our body is a problem and really at any cost we will help you to change your body. Those are messages that stick with kids for their life,SA国际影视传媒� Eberhardt said.

Although the public hears more about anorexia and bulimia, the most common eating disorder is binge eating disorder (BED), Isserlin said.

People with BED often have difficulty accessing mental health services, and they often feel SA国际影视传媒渟hameSA国际影视传媒� instead of recognizing that they have a SA国际影视传媒渢rueSA国际影视传媒� psychological illness, she said.

Isserlin worries about people mistakenly thinking Ozempic is a way to deal with BED because it suppresses appetite, instead of getting treatment.

The danger of misusing medications has always been a concern when it comes to all eating disorders, she said, from using laxatives, diuretics and caffeine pills to misusing insulin or thyroid medications.

Now, the potential for misuse of Ozempic or Saxenda by people with eating disorders is an additional concern, Isserlin said.

SA国际影视传媒淲e have a good history to suggest that this does happen and that itSA国际影视传媒檚 really a risk with any of these types of products,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Although Wells-Hopey recovered from anorexia, she said itSA国际影视传媒檚 still a battle, especially when sheSA国际影视传媒檚 under stress, to quiet the thoughts that tell her sheSA国际影视传媒檚 SA国际影视传媒渢oo fat.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚 think it is extremely difficult to live in the culture in which we do and not have disordered thinking around body image and your relationship with food,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

READ ALSO:

READ ALSO: