Benefits of weight-loss, diabetes meds
During the last three months of 2022, health care providers wrote more than 9 million prescriptions for diabetes medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, as well as the higher-dose Wegovy, which is approved for weight loss.
Since then, researchers have been tracking folks who take the medications and discovered some additional benefits.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Wegovy for prevention of heart disease in folks with obesity or overweight and a history of cardiovascular disease. That’s based on data from the SELECT study of more than 17,000 patients that found that, over three years, the active ingredient semaglutide reduced the composite risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke by 20 percent.
Another study, yet to be published, has found that in folks with diabetes and related kidney disease, Ozempic cuts the risk of kidney disease progression and cardiovascular complications by 24 percent.
Now, these meds do have negative side effects for some people — including pancreas problems, slow stomach emptying, nausea, and blocked intestines — making it impossible for a small percentage of patients to stay on the drugs permanently.
So, if you have obesity and heart woes or are developing Type 2-related kidney disease, ask your doctor if these medications may be a good for you — always in combination with a healthy life style that includes stress management, a plant-based diet and physical activity.
Banishing bad breath
Some studies indicate that bad breath plagues almost a third of all folks. It often results from poor oral hygiene — not brushing and flossing regularly. And when it is chronic, it can be a sign of gum disease, GERD (acid reflux), diabetes, liver and kidney disease, H. pylori (a bacteria associated with stomach ulcers), and dry mouth from certain meds.
Step 1: To prevent bad breath, brush two to three times a day, floss daily and clean your tongue with your brush or a tongue scraper.
Step 2: If you still have bad breath, you need to see your dentist to determine if you have gingivitis (gum inflammation) or periodontal disease (which results from gingivitis and can cause tooth loss).
Step 3: If gingivitis or periodontal disease are not the problem, see your primary care physician to explore other medical issues that might be the cause. Then you can breathe easy.