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In India, which has the third-highest number of overweight adults in the world and more than 77 million people with type 2 diabetes, weight-loss drugs are becoming increasingly popular. Tiragepetide Monzaro, marketed by US drugmaker Eli Lilly, has reportedly become the second best-selling drug in India in six months. And doctors, mostly endocrinologists, are full of questions about weight loss through GLP-1 drugs. It’s a trend that worries India’s Pilates pioneer Yasmin Karachiwala, who has more than three decades of experience in the wellness world. A celebrity fitness trainer to a team of Bollywood stars, she says people should be wary of possible side effects, including muscle loss.
In an exclusive interview with Health Shots, when Yasmin Karachiwala was asked if she was worried about the popularity of weight loss drugs, she said: “Yes, it’s really sad because people are looking for quick solutions, which always happens when something new comes out. In the last 30 years, I have seen a lot of quick solutions coming up, and people justify it.”
One of the weight loss drugs, semaglutide, developed by the Danish company Novo Nordisk, is available as Ribelsus (oral) and Vegovy (injection). Its version Ozempic has been approved in India for diabetes management but not yet for obesity. The second, tirazepate, manufactured by Eli Lilly and sold as Monzaro, is officially for diabetes, but is now widely used off-label in India for weight loss.
Both of these do different things. Ozempic is a GLP-1 drug, which stands for glucagon-like peptide-1. In general terms, it mimics the natural GLP-1 hormone which supports blood sugar and appetite regulation. Monjaro has a dual mechanism with GLP-1 and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) to control blood sugar.
According to Yasmin Karachiwala, “Injectables are really good for people with diabetes and overweight, they have tried everything but still are not able to lose weight and it is affecting their health. For them to lose weight, it is either this (weight loss drugs) or undergo bariatric surgery, depending on their doctor’s suggestion.”
“I’m not a judgmental person, but I feel like a lot of people who want to lose five kilograms and think they are overweight are taking the help of injections. This is not something I would advise anyone to do because they don’t realize that it is making them lose muscle mass,” says Karachiwala, whose celebrity clients include celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Kriti Sanon and Ananya Panday.
As a fitness expert, she can claim that strengthening muscles is really hard.
She warns, “It’s very easy to gain fat, but very difficult to gain muscle. And if you don’t have enough muscle as you age, you’ll lose bone density. The thing that protects our bones is our muscles! So, if you’ve lost muscle, you’ve lost bones, you’re headed toward osteoporosis.”
Instead, she recommends a combination of increasing protein intake through weight training, diet, and hydration.
Yasmin Karachiwala speaks to Health Shots during the launch of her Yasmin Karachiwala Body Image (YKBI) studio in New Delhi.
Talking about how many people only join a gym or fitness class when they feel unfit or self-conscious, she says: “When I coined the term body image for my studio, I wanted everyone to have a good body image. Whatever your body image is, fitness has nothing to do with the body, okay? Because they say skinny doesn’t fit in and fat doesn’t fit sometimes. I want people to think about how they wake up in the morning. What level of fatigue do they feel during the day? Do they wake up with a spring in their step? These are the things that translate into your body image and how you can conquer the world.
(Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions you have about any medical condition.)
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