Foods that mimic Ozempic revealed — the best ones for weight loss

Health

By Marc Lallanilla

Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro have radically transformed the world of weight loss.

Health experts know there are plenty of foods — probably in your pantry right now — that affect the body like those medications.

Semaglutide is the active ingredient in those drugs, which work by mimicking GLP-1, a hormone in your body that’s produced when you eat.

GLP-1 stimulates the release of insulin and slows down food moving from your stomach into your intestine. It also sends signals to your brain, telling it that you’re no longer hungry.

While GLP-1 lasts only a few minutes, semaglutide lasts for days, suppressing appetite and leading to significant weight loss.

Some high-fiber foods cause your digestive system to respond similarly.

“Whenever my family finds out that I’m studying obesity or diabetes, they say, ‘Oh, what’s the wonder drug? What do I need to take? What do I need to do?’” Frank Duca, of the University of Arizona’s Cancer Center, told NPR this week.

“And I say, ‘Eat more fiber.’”

Because fiber is digested more slowly than other compounds in food, it moves through the small intestine more slowly and is broken down when it reaches the large intestine.

There, fiber triggers the release of GLP-1 plus PYY, another hormone that decreases appetite. Because this process takes hours, it can suppress appetite for a long time and reduce between-meal cravings.

“PYY regulates satiety — that is, how long you wait between meals,” said Duca. “The release of PYY, in addition to the GLP-1, can increase the length of time between meals.”

But not all fiber is created equal, and foods with added fiber aren’t necessarily helping you control your appetite. Fermentable fiber, according to Duca, is the best kind for controlling appetite and weight.

Beta glucan, for example, is a fermentable fiber found in barley, oats and rye and it’s been shown to promote weight loss in animal studies.

“At least in our settings, it was only beta glucan that was effective,” Duca said.

Other fermentable fibers include the dextrin in wheat products; oligosaccharides in beans, peas and lentils; and pectin in apples, pears and green bananas.

“Just being aware of how much fiber you’re eating and increasing it, that’s a huge step to improving your health,” Duca said. “Then once you get into the habit of eating more fiber, you can be more specific about adding more beta glucan and barley.”

And Duca notes that foods with added fiber might not have the kind of fiber that promotes weight loss.

“Companies are hearing that they need to increase the fiber in their foods, but then a lot of times, they’re adding fiber that isn’t super beneficial for you,” he said. “It’s the type of fiber that just passes right through you, without triggering the release of any hormones.”