Hi friends!
Here is your weekly Tri-Tip Tuesday, sharing our current thoughts on food, fitness, & travel. Please forward this to others if you think they may be inspired.
Food: ozempic lawsuits
Ozempic, the brand name for semaglutide, is an injectable medication manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk and used to manage type 2 diabetes. While Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy, and others in the GLP-1 agonist category are only FDA-approved to manage diabetes, they have become increasingly popular for their off-label use as a weight loss drug (even though they are not approved for that purpose).
The first GLP-1 receptor agonist was exenatide, which was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April 2005 to treat T2DM. Ozempic was FDA-approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in December 2017.
Using Ozempic comes with associated risks of severe health problems such as pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), kidney failure, gallbladder disease, changes in vision, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), and allergic reactions. The most common side effects are stomach issues, which include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain.
The FDA has issued a boxed warning for Ozempic due to its potential to cause thyroid tumors and thyroid cancer. A "black box" warning is the most serious safety warning issued by the FDA and not something to take lightly. In September 2023, the FDA added a side effect warning of Gastrointestinal Disorders, however, it is not black-boxed.
Ozempic made headlines when the FDA added a new warning to the Ozempic label, and it continues to make headlines with current lawsuits emerging.
Speculation has sensationalized the potential of 10,000 personal injury lawsuits to surface, however, lawyers have filed only about 100 cases so far, tied to Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy, Trulicity, and Mounjaro.
With any medication or treatment plan, it is important to fully explore and research the associated benefits and associated risks while determining what is best for you. Each individual is different, so you need to look at your benefit-to-risk ratio on an individual basis.
Fitness: toxic athletic wear
Microplastics and nanoplastics are growing in awareness and concern. The chemicals and compounds are linked to serious health issues such as hormone disruption, weight gain, insulin resistance, decreased reproductive health, infertility, and cancer.
The health effects of chemicals in our food and beauty products are often spoken of. Scientists have estimated the average person might eat 5 grams of microplastics in a week—about the weight of a credit card.
But what about the hidden toxins in clothing? Clothing – especially our activewear – is something we wear for long periods without thinking about it. We put it on to improve our healthy habits, yet we could be exposing ourselves to unhealthy substances. Common athletic materials are made out of synthetic materials like polyester, nylon, rayon, and elastane.
Wearing and washing polyester and synthetic clothing not only releases microplastics into wastewater and the home environment, but it also is in direct contact with your skin. The synthetic fabrics don't allow your skin to breathe. Sweat acts as a solvent and has been found to pull contaminants out of clothing. When you sweat, your pores enlarge, making it even easier for your body to absorb the synthetic chemicals that you are wearing and disrupt your endocrine system.
Chemicals used in synthetic clothing have been linked to adverse skin reactions, dermatitis, allergies, reduction of microbes, disrupting hormones, and obesity. Some brands even include harmful toxins such as BPA, PFAS, azo dyes, flame retardants, formaldehyde, lead, and phthalates.
Transitioning to wearing natural fiber clothing such as cotton, wool, silk, and linen rather than synthetic and polyester can take some effort. It's probably overwhelming (and depressing) to even think about replacing your entire wardrobe, logistically and financially.
This is a good situation to take the "start small, start now" approach:
- Consider swapping out smaller (yet primary) personal items to cotton such as underwear, bras, and socks
- Change out of your synthetic sports bras, compression leggings, and other activewear immediately after your workout
- With time, be mindful when shopping in the future, and check tags as you shop. Not only will you be improving your health, but also helping Mother Earth.
Other things you can do to minimize microplastic consumption:
- Avoid drinking water from plastic water bottles and unfiltered taps (reverse osmosis filtering is best to remove plastics)
- Minimize processed food consumption, especially those in plastic containers
- Use glass food storage containers instead of plastic - especially for hot foods or reheating foods
- Use wood cutting boards instead of plastic
- Minimize seed oils that are linked with microplastics
- Choose grass-fed beef over factory-farmed (factory-farmed cattle is fed with low-grade feed high in plastics)
- Be mindful of seafood consumption, which is high in microplastic from polluted oceans
- Remove carpet and polyester furniture from the home which can increase microplastic dust
- Open windows as much as possible for fresh air. Use HEPA air filters to remove most indoor microplastics
- Use cotton bed linens instead of polyester
Travel: grocery store finds
Aaron and I have made it pretty far up the East Coast. One highlight from our trip is finding fresh lobster at the grocery stores!
While in Maine, we were able to get fresh, live, lobsters at the grocery store for $14.99/pound. The grocery stores will even steam the lobsters for you right there on the spot. It took 10-12 minutes for a couple of lobsters to cook, and I left with piping hot lobster.
Now those of you from the East Coast may think that's no big deal. Well, for a person raised in Minnesota, it IS a big deal!!
I use grocery stores quite often to explore local products. On big trips or especially special trips, I even use grocery stores to purchase souvenirs for friends and family for a fraction of the cost that specialty stores sell items for.
Make it a great week!
Christine Irene
NASM-CPT, Senior Fitness Specialist, Precision Nutrition Pn1 + Pn2 Certified, & Avid Traveler
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