Eau, eau, eau, Eau-zempic!
You’ve heard of “Ozempic butt,” “Ozempic fingers,” “Ozempic mouth” and “Ozempic teeth” — now, there’s a new term to add to the GLP-1 lexicon: “Ozempic breath.”
Bad breath is a common side effect of GLP-1 diabetes and weight loss drugs like Ozempic because they slow digestion, causing food to linger and ferment in the stomach. Bacterial fermentation produces hydrogen sulfide gas and those icky sulfur burps.
What’s worse, these drugs can trigger dry mouth by reducing saliva production and can induce ketosis, which is linked to a distinct fruity, sweet or metallic odor.
Ozempic breath can be embarrassing for GLP-1 users — but it’s turned out to be good news for confectioners.
Hershey Co. CEO Kirk Tanner reported Thursday in an earnings call that GLP-1 drugs are fueling sales of mints and gum, including the company’s Ice Breakers product line, which was up 8% last quarter.
“We’ve … seen strong demand for gum and mint products as the category benefits from functional snacking tailwinds, including GLP-1 adoption,” Tanner said in prepared remarks reported by Bloomberg.
Hershey said it also saw a 17% bump in protein bar consumption last quarter.
GLP-1 users are encouraged to eat lots of protein — like chicken, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, lentils and beans — to prevent the loss of muscle mass, maintain metabolic rate and reduce hunger pangs.
For years, the Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein was 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight or 0.36 grams per pound. That meant 54 grams a day for a 150-pound person.
The US dietary guidelines released this year bumped the protein recommendations to 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight. A 150-pound person should be consuming 82 to 109 grams of protein daily, per the new advice.
Roughly 12% of US adults have taken a GLP-1 drug, research shows.
For this group, researchers in Pittsburgh suggest eating 1.2 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight. That 150-pound person should be scarfing down 82 to a whopping 136 grams of protein a day.
About 22 large eggs or 20 ounces of raw, skinless chicken breast would satisfy the higher end of that range.
In addition to gobbling more protein, GLP-1 users should be increasing their fiber intake, staying hydrated and engaging in resistance training.
Water, especially, can help Ozempic breath by relieving dry mouth, washing away odor-causing bacteria and clearing the effects of acid reflux from teeth.
Other tricks include using an anti-microbial mouthwash, scraping your tongue and chewing sugar-free gum.
If you want to air on the side of caution, speak with your dentist before adding new tools to your oral hygiene routine.
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