While celebrities like Elon Musk have been open and honest about using Ozempic, aka the 'skinny jab', to spark their weight-loss ambitions, judging by his latest comments Mark Wahlberg won't be relying on weight-loss injections to carve his washboard abs anytime soon.
The 51-year-old actor, who's known for his 4am workouts and strict fitness regime, recently told Page Six that when it comes to losing weight and building muscle, he favours the old-fashioned methods of exercising and eating well.
‘To each his own, but I do encourage people to eat right and exercise’ Wahlberg said. ‘It’s much more [of] a lifestyle change. You’d be surprised what you can accomplish when you’re willing to do the work.
‘Everybody has their own path. I don’t knock anybody for making their own choices. But I prefer, and I’ve seen lots of people accomplish amazing things, ordinary people doing extraordinary things on a fitness base, and they’re now encouraging other people that look like them. That’s what I’m into,’ he added.
For anyone not in the know, Ozempic is the brand name of an injectable weight-loss drug called semaglutide.
Semaglutide is essentially an appetite-suppressant in injectable form. While Ozempic, specifically, has traditionally been used to treat type two diabetes. The other well known semaglutide injection goes by the brandname Wegovy, and you can read more about semaglutide, Ozempic and Wegovy in our deep dive.
Wegovy has previously been approved for use by the NHS and was expected to made available in the UK this week, but weight loss services and pharmacists have now been warned of an indefinite delay in making the product available.
‘I would be surprised to see this on the health service any time soon,’ an NHS source told The Telegraph.
Daniel is Men’s Health UK’s deputy digital editor. He’s a writer and editor with a decade’s worth of experience covering health, fitness, tech and sports. In his time at Men’s Health, he’s written about everything from Black men's mental health to The Rock's cheat days and has logged training time with NFL footballers, Olympic gymnasts and the British Army. In his spare time he enjoys fitness of all kinds, from deadlifts to long runs, and is always on the lookout for his next challenge.
