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Padma Lakshmitalked about the “deeper” issue surrounding the recent Hollywood weight loss trend involving type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic.
During the Time100 gala Wednesday, theTop Chefhost, 52, spoke to PEOPLE about her opinion on the growing popularity ofOzempic, an FDA-approved prescription medication for people with type 2 diabetes. It’s one of the brand names for semaglutide and tirzepatide — also known asWegovyandMounjaro— which works in the brain to impact satiety, and has been trending in Hollywood circles for weight loss.
“You gotta be careful what you do with your body,” she explains. “OnTop ChefI eat a lot, and I understand the tendency. But also the pressure for women in media is much different than men in media. So we have to maybe look deeper to the reasons why, as a society, not just put it on the shoulders of the women who just want the same opportunity that men get.”
“We just want an equal shake,” Lakshmi continued. “We have to look good, we have to sound good, we have to be strong but not too strong, we have to be vulnerable but not too weak. And it can feel like a really dichotomous, tall order.”
“So, I think we have to be kinder to each other and to ourselves,” adds Lakshmi — whoseaward-winning travel and food docuseriesTaste the Nationreturns for season 2 on May 5.
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Lakshmi is not the only celebrity who has expressed concern as some people have used the medication for weight loss, even when not medically necessary.
Real Housewives of New JerseystarJackie Goldschneidersaid on Page Six’sVirtual Reali-Teapodcast in February that she was “horrified” at how many people are taking Ozempic.
“You start dropping massive amounts of weight. That’s so addicting,” she said at the time, noting her ownrecovery from a 18-year eating disorder. “That’s how I spiraled into anorexia. You get addicted to this new body and to the attention that comes with it.”
source: people.com
