All you need to know about 'OATzempic', TikTok's latest viral weight loss trend

Trigger warning: this article mentions weight loss which might be triggering for some readers.

Africa Melane speaks to Liezel van der Westhuizen about the viral TikTok trend, #oatzempic.

Liezel van der Westhuizen says oatzempic "is a big trend doing its rounds on TikTok at the moment."

The name is a catchy tribute to the diabetes drug, 'Ozempic' aimed to regulate blood sugar resulting in weight loss. This drug also trended on TikTok for the last few months for its controversial weight loss side effects as people were asking their doctor's to prescribe the medication to them without having diabetes.  

The current trend, #oatzempic is a creative amalgamation combining Ozempic and a popular breakfast ingredient - oats, which allegedly claims to have the same side effect as the drug which is weight loss.

What is OATzempic made of?

It's a simple blended drink with a half-cup of rolled oats, 1 cup of water, a dash of cinnamon and a squeeze of lime juice. An oats smoothie, if you will.

Props to whoever came up with the catchy name, but the oatzempic drink doesn’t include any weight loss medication.

However, drinkers of oatzempic shared online that they have allegedly lost up to five to 10 kilograms a month as they have used the drink as a meal replacement, reports Van der Westhuizen.

A leading nutritionist's take: "Not a guaranteed weight loss tool"

Van der Westhuizen got the opinion of a leading nutritionist from the United Kingdom, Rhiannon Lambert who says oatzempic is not a "guaranteed weight loss tool".

"Weight loss claims from oatzempic have come from social media - a place where we don't have any data, any studies, it's all anecdotal."

- Rhiannon Lambert - Nutritionist 

"An introduction of oats can be beneficial for your health to get slow releasing energy and more healthy fibre for our gut. But when it comes to oatzempic and weight loss, there is no concrete evidence that this is a guaranteed weight loss tool. It depends on your overall diet and lifestyle."

- Rhiannon Lambert - Nutritionist 

Other reports regarding #oatzempic from dieticians and nutritionists say that there is no miracle drink or food that can help you magically shed kilograms. 

Losing weight in a healthy way comes down to small lifestyle and exercise changes over time. 

Scroll up to listen to the full conversation.