‘Big Food’ brand Nestlé has pivoted to selling collagen and protein powders to counteract the side effects of weight-loss drugs after a drop in snack sales.
Despite their undeniable slimming effects, injections of GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, have been linked to a catalog of side effects including muscle loss, hair loss, and the “Ozempic face.”
The maker of KitKat, Yorkie bars and the Haagen-Daz ice cream brand predicts that patients taking GLP-1 medications will begin to avoid chocolate bars in favor of meals that are nutritious and not too filling.
In response, the Swiss food giant this week launched the GLP-1Nutrition website, designed for consumers receiving slimming injections, selling them vitamins, collagen and protein powder for up to $59.92 (£47.21).
Nestlé also plans to start selling its ‘Vital Pursuits’ food line this year, which contains 12 portion-controlled frozen meals rich in protein and fiber, Bloomberg reports.
Nestlé this week launched a GLP-1Nutrition website designed for consumers who take slimming injections, selling them vitamins and protein powders.
The new GLP-1Nutrition website features curvy models and sells ideas that Nestlé products will help “nourish your gut” and help you “lose fat, not muscle.”
Nestlé’s new products include a hair growth supplement, strawberry and lemonade flavored electrolyte tablets, plus collagen peptides to increase skin elasticity.
The website features curvy models and sells the idea that Nestlé products will help you “nourish your gut” and “lose fat, not muscle.”
Not only do fat patients who take medications like Wegovy and Ozempic lose, but they can also cause you to lose muscle.
This is because weight loss injections do not specifically target fat, but instead cause weight loss by affecting appetite.
The result is that patients may also lose muscle mass by not eating as much protein, the building block of muscle, as they did before taking the drug.
Fat also disappears from the face, not just the belly, causing many people to look gaunt, known as the “Ozempic face.”
Since fat in our face helps give us smooth, plump cheeks and wrinkle-free foreheads, losing it quickly can make people look much older.
Semaglutide, as well as its rival drugs liraglutide and tirzepatide, have been hailed as monumental advances in the war against obesity. But a surge in demand for vaccines, fueled by celebrity endorsements, has also caused global supplies to run out.
Several patients have reported hair loss while taking semaglutide, experiencing hair thinning to a surprising degree or even falling out in clumps.
Wegovy’s original clinical trials detected this effect among those taking the drug.
Hair loss reportedly affected 3 percent of those taking the drug, compared to just 1 percent in the study’s placebo group.
Baldness or thinning hair is not listed as an official side effect of semaglutide medications, in part because it was rarely reported in trials and is not, from the point of view of a medical emergency, serious.
But eating less can lead to a lack of nutrition; This side effect, together with hair loss and the haggard appearance of the “Ozempic face”, will be counteracted by Nestlé’s new products.
These new weight loss products include a hair growth supplement, strawberry and lemonade flavored electrolyte tablets, plus collagen peptides to increase skin elasticity.
The maker of Smarties is pivoting to help its customers “preserve lean muscle mass, manage digestive disorders and ensure adequate daily micronutrient intake,” Anna Mohl, CEO of Nestlé Health Science, told Bloomberg.
Nestlé is not the only company that is switching to selling GLP-1 compatible products; Health care company Abbott also offers nutritional shakes to weight loss clients.