Is There Anything to ‘Oatzempic?’
Sure, oats are good for you — but is there any real science behind this TikTok trend?
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If you spend any time on TikTok, you may have seen various wellness influencers touting the supposed weight loss benefits of what they’ve dubbed “Oatzempic” — a play on Ozempic, the most famous of the new class of GLP-1 agonist drugs that are used for weight loss, among other things.
Oatzempic is a simple proclamation: Whip up this combination of ingredients (that many people probably have in their kitchen already), gulp it down and you’ll send your body into some kind of weight loss overdrive.
Unsurprisingly, experts say it’s hardly that simple. If you’ve been tempted to try Oatzempic, here’s what you should know before giving it a go.
What is Oatzempic, exactly?
Perhaps the most straightforward thing about Oatzempic is the recipe. “The TikTok trend instructs people to make and consume a beverage made from a 1/2-cup of rolled oats, one cup of water, a dash of cinnamon and approximately a tablespoon of lime juice,” says Michelle Rauch, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian for the Actor’s Fund based in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
If you’re thinking, ‘That sounds similar to regular oatmeal, just cold and sour,’ you’d be correct. But some TikTokers are claiming it’s so much more than that. The creator who popularized the concoction started the “30 Day Oatzempic Challenge,” which involves drinking the stuff every day for a month in an effort to aid weight loss. “In the video, the creator claims to have lost 40 pounds in two months with just this diet change,” says Caroline Thomason, RD, CDCES, a dietitian and diabetes educator based in Washington, D.C.
“The idea behind this trend is that starting your day with this breakfast will help decrease your appetite, supposedly due to the fiber content when using this ‘recipe’ as a meal replacement,” Thomason says.
Why are people comparing soggy oats and lime juice to Ozempic?
“The thought behind this trend is that oats contain beta-glucan, which [is] a type of soluble fiber that has been shown to have many health benefits including, but not limited to, helping with weight loss,” Rauch says. The fiber turns into a gel-like substance in the digestive tract, which can help slow down digestion and increase feelings of fullness. Note that while Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists drugs slow digestion and decrease appetite, they do by acting on various hormones – they’re powerful pharmaceutical drugs, not fiber.
Should you try Oatzempic for weight loss?
First, it’s important to note that attempting to lose weight by changing your diet is an extremely difficult feat long-term, no matter what you eat. One meta-analysis published in 2020 in the BMJ looked at data from over 100 past studies on various diets and weight loss, and found that while people tended to lose weight on all kinds of diets in the first six months, that weight typically came back by the 12-month mark.
There’s no reason to believe that swapping your usual breakfast for oatzempic will have any magical weight loss powers. “I absolutely do not recommend that anyone try this trend for several reasons,” Thomason says. “Firstly, it doesn’t sound all that delicious, does it?” Slurping oats and lime juice might feel OK for a day or two, but it likely gets old quick. “Secondly, we have a lot of research that shows that meal replacements are not sustainable and most people ‘fall off track’ and resort to older habits,” she adds.
Plus, such a low-calorie breakfast can set you up for trouble later in the day. “Drastically cutting calories [can] lead to binging and overeating,” Rauch says.
And as for the comparison to Ozempic? “It is irresponsible to say that this meal replacement trend is equivalent to a medication that alters our brain and body chemistry,” Thomason says.
The bottom line: Oats are great! Oatzempic? Not so much.
“If someone feels tempted by the oatzempic craze, I recommend incorporating oats in a more balanced way into your diet to see if you enjoy the health benefits,” Thomason says. “Eating oats can help you regulate your blood sugar, keep you full longer, lower your cholesterol and more. No lime juice necessary!” Instead, try some tried-and-true oatmeal or prep some overnight oats ahead of time for mornings when you want something to grab and go.
*This article was written and/or reviewed by an independent registered dietitian nutritionist.
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