Dr. Terry Dubrow slammed Jillian Michaels after she expressed her concerns with the weight loss drug Ozempic.
The plastic surgeon, 65, said that those interested in trying Ozempic, which is prescribed to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes, should listen to their physician and not the personal trainer, 49.
‘As a board certified physician and a certified expert for the California medical board, I’m not here to debate scientific and medical issues with a personal trainer,’ he told TMZ on Tuesday.
‘What I’m concerned about is that someone of great influence like this will limit people’s interest in treating the disease of obesity with these new miracle weight loss drugs.’
He also compared it to life-saving treatments, asking, ‘Would you limit the use of chemotherapy for cancer? No.’
Dr. Terry Dubrow, 65, slammed Jillian Michaels, 49, after she expressed her concerns with the weight loss drug Ozempic
‘In the same way you wouldn’t want to influence people not to use these miracle drugs to treat the number one risk factor for cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and all causes of cardiovascular death.’
‘What Jillian has said is that there is going to be a massive fallout with the long-term use of Ozempic, people are going to get used to it like they get used to coffee, and the side-effects are so bad you shouldn’t even try it,’ he explained.
Ozempic is one of the brand names for semaglutide which works in the brain to help with satiety, and is the go-to Hollywood weight loss trend.
It is taken once a week by injection in the thigh, stomach or arm. And while it is intended for those who suffer from obesity or type 2 diabetes, it is often taken as a weight loss drug.
Despite disagreeing with Jillian’s anti-Ozempic stance, the Botched star concurred with the certified nutritionist’s view that diet and exercise are vital to people’s health.
‘She’s absolutely right, diet and exercise is critical. But to ignore or belittle these incredible miracle weight loss drugs is sending the wrong message.’
‘Do not listen to her! If you are obese, you are at risk for major causes of morality.’
‘Anything you can do to lower your body fat, including diet and exercise, that’s safe – and these drugs, again, have been around for a decade, they are safe.’
‘I’m not here to debate scientific and medical issues with a personal trainer,’ he told TMZ on Tuesday. He also compared Ozempic to life-saving treatments, asking, ‘Would you limit the use of chemotherapy for cancer ? No’
‘What I’m concerned about is that someone of great influence like this will limit people’s interest in treating the disease of obesity with these new miracle weight loss drugs,’ he said
It comes just a few days after he revealed he tried Ozempic himself but quit it because he missed the ‘joy of eating’; Pictured with wife Heather Dubrow in 2023
Despite quitting, Dubrow insists Ozempic is ‘amazing’ and ‘The biggest breakthrough in medical history’
It comes just a few days after he revealed he tried Ozempic himself but quit it because he missed the ‘joy of eating.’
‘I didn’t have that much weight to lose. But I wanted to try it because so many of my patients were on it and I wanted to see what it was like when you’re not diabetic and you only have 10-15 pounds to lose,’ he told Page Six.
Dubrow admitted he experienced side effects like low-grade nausea while taking the weekly injections, but stressed that he still thinks the drug is ‘amazing’ and ‘the biggest breakthrough in medical history.’
Jillian has publicly expressed her disapproval of Ozempic a number of times in the past.
In February she revealed she has convinced multiple friends to quit the medication that she claims makes people feel ‘awful.’
‘They’re getting heart palpitations, they’re nauseous, they feel like s***. They feel so awful that it’s motivated them to reverse their type 2 diabetes,’ she told People in an interview.
Jillian emphasized her dislike of the drug by noting that once you stop taking the medication you are at risk of gaining rebound weight.
She explained that due the ‘rebound effect,’ those who use Ozempic are ‘not gaining anything.’
‘You get off the drug in a year and go all the way back. You’ve not learned anything. You’ve not built any physical strength or endurance. You haven’t learned how to eat healthy,’ she said.
Michaels has previously slammed Ozempic after revealing she has convinced multiple friends to quit the medication
Last week she also called out Oprah Winfrey for admitting to using a weight loss drug, claiming the Oprah ‘has a financial incentive’ due to her partnership with WeightWatchers (Oprah pictured last week)
The fitness trainer warned people to do their research on the drug and explained that the results ‘are not lasting.’
Instead of injecting themselves with the drug, Jillian suggests those looking to lose weight begin walking 10,000 steps a day and remove processed sugar and flour from their diets.
Last week she also called out Oprah Winfrey for admitting to using a weight loss drug, claiming the Oprah ‘has a financial incentive’ due to her partnership with WeightWatchers – which she also owns a 10 per cent stake in.
The fitness instructor said: ‘Oprah has a financial incentive with Ozempic. Oprah, I believe, is one of the biggest shareholders of WeightWatchers, and WeightWatchers is now in the Ozempic business,’ she told Page Six.
Both Ozempic and its sister drug Wegovy have been hailed as magic bullets for obesity and their ability to melt fat away within a matter of weeks.
Ozempic was first approved by the FDA as a medication for type 2 diabetes in 2017, while Wegovy was approved by the FDA as a weight management treatment in 2021.
