Ozempic and Wegovy have received a lot of publicity as revolutionizing treatment options for obesity. Both medications form a class of GLP-1 receptor agonists, which mimic a hormone in the body called glucagon-like peptide-1 and are involved in the regulation of appetite and blood sugar. Indeed, in initial clinical studies, the majority of those on the drugs lost 15% to 22% of body weight, hence much optimism. For most patients, these medications are underwhelming for about 20% of patients due to minimal weight loss or other challenges.

Take a closer look at why the weight loss drugs may not work for everyone, together with what options exist when they don't deliver the expected outcomes.

Why Weight Loss Drugs May Not Work

While GLP-1 receptor agonists have produced phenomenal responses in a majority of patients, it remains a reality that these drugs work differently for different people. Here's why:

1. Genetic and Hormonal Variability

Weight loss medications interact with complex systems in the body that differ from person to person. Genetics, hormones, and individual brain responses to energy regulation play significant roles in determining how a person responds to drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.

2. Underlying Medical Conditions

Other conditions, such as sleep apnea, may be prevalent and prevent or delay the achievement of weight loss goals. Prescription drugs like antidepressants, steroids, or contraceptives are other medications that can nullify weight loss medication benefits.

3. Unrealistic Expectations

Often, they come to these medications with enormous hopes; expecting the promised rapid and dramatic weight loss. Progress creates disappointment if it has not stalled. In patients who rigidly follow recommended lifestyle modifications, frustration and disappointment are most common.

Why it is Important to Identify Non-responders

For most patients, the effectiveness of GLP-1 receptor agonists is evident within a few weeks of treatment. Weight loss typically begins within a few weeks of initiating therapy and tends to increase with dosage. However, some patients respond very little, if at all, despite strict adherence to their regimen.

For nonresponders, this can feel like a dead end. However, understanding the unique complexities of obesity is essential. This condition stems from brain dysfunction, and the pathways that contribute to weight regulation differ among individuals.

Alternative Treatment Options

When Ozempic or Wegovy doesn’t yield desired results, there are still many paths to explore:

1. Switching to Another GLP-1 Drug

For example, some patients who don't respond well to one GLP-1 receptor agonist might find success with another drug in the same class. Newer medications, such as Zepbound, target other hormone pathways and seem promising even for those not responsive to earlier drugs.

2. Use of Older Medications

While there is much to say about newer drugs, older treatments can still be useful and work for some patients. One can also seek the help of a medical provider specializing in obesity treatments in order to identify the best alternatives.

3. Lifestyle Changes

Diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management continue to be integral components of any weight loss program. New changes may be small but can make an enormous difference in one's health and success.

4. Medical Management of Obesity

It is a complex disorder, and most patients should receive a multidisciplinary treatment. Collaboration with an obesity-aware doctor may mean access to tailored treatment plans, ranging from psychological support all the way to metabolic testing, and many others.

Why Side Effects of Weight Loss Drug Ozempic May Be a Barrier

For others, side effects like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea hinder them from continuing with these drugs. These symptoms often reduce as the body becomes accustomed, but for some, they might be severe enough to stop treatment altogether. In those instances, alternative drugs or procedures become vital to find.

Long-term effects of Ozempic or Wegovy on the Brain

Another largely unexplored area relates to GLP-1 drugs' long-term effects on the brain's regulation of hunger and satiety. Although GLP-1 drugs suppress appetite and can lead to effective weight loss, emerging research suggests that they may also affect brain reward mechanisms, changing the way patients experience foods.

This aspect could prove of paramount significance in the future treatment of obesity. Perhaps GLP-1 receptor agonists do indeed affect and rewire the brain's reward pathways and will thus provide sustained benefits beyond discontinuation. However, more research is required to understand this phenomenon fully.

While for many, Ozempic and Wegovy have revolutionized obesity treatment, these are certainly not a one size fits all. Nonresponders need not lose hope- alternative strategies and medications abound. A consultation with an obesity expert healthcare provider is essential to put together a comprehensive, tailored treatment plan.

The route toward effective weight loss may be challenging, but with the evolution of obesity medicine and a better understanding of individual needs, there is a path forward for everyone.

Kidney disease is rising at an alarming pace worldwide, and it’s now among the top causes of death. A Lancet study highlights that the number of people living with chronic kidney disease jumped from 78 million in 1990 to nearly 788 million in 2023. That’s a massive tenfold spike, and a reminder that our kidneys need more attention than we realize.

The tricky part? Kidney problems often progress silently. Many people don’t realize anything is wrong until the kidneys are already significantly damaged. That’s why experts strongly emphasize early screening. According to nephrologists like Dr Arjun Sabharwal, a few simple tests — often quick and inexpensive — can help catch kidney issues early and improve treatment outcomes.

Below are the four key tests everyone should know about, especially if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, a family history of kidney disease, or you’re simply trying to stay proactive about your health.

Creatinine Blood Test & eGFR: Your First Kidney Health Check

eGFR uses creatinine values along with age and other factors to estimate how well your kidneys are functioning overall. Doctors often say, “Creatinine is just a number — eGFR tells you how much your kidneys are working.”

An eGFR below normal may be an early signal that your kidneys aren’t filtering efficiently, even if you feel fine.

Cystatin C: A More Accurate Indicator for Some People

Cystatin C is a protein produced naturally by all cells. When kidneys are healthy, its levels stay stable; when the kidneys struggle, the levels rise.

Experts highlight that Cystatin C can be more reliable than creatinine for people with very high muscle mass, those who work out intensely, or individuals taking supplements that may affect creatinine readings. If creatinine results seem unclear or inconsistent, this test adds clarity.

Urine Dipstick Test: Quick and Tells You a Lot

Before kidney function takes a major hit, the body often shows early warnings — one of which is protein leakage in urine. A urine dipstick test is one of the fastest ways to detect this.

A chemically treated strip is dipped into your urine sample, and if proteins like albumin are present, the strip changes color. It’s simple, non-invasive, and helpful for spotting early kidney damage.

Urine Protein-to-Creatinine Ratio (UPCR): How Much Protein Is Leaking

If a dipstick shows abnormalities, the next step is often a UPCR test. This test measures exactly how much protein is leaking into the urine relative to creatinine. Higher levels may signal worsening kidney function or underlying disease. Doctors use UPCR to assess the severity of kidney damage and monitor progress over time.

When to See a Nephrologist

If any test shows rising creatinine, an abnormal eGFR, protein in urine, or blood detected on a dipstick, it’s crucial to book an appointment. Lifestyle tweaks, home remedies, or detox drinks cannot reverse kidney damage. Expert evaluation is essential.

In 2025, thanks to climate change, rapid urbanization, and frequent travels, new viruses, their strains, and infections have spread frequently. Infections have affect millions and some diseases have come back with their new strains, which have been more contagious, whereas other diseases are finding new ways to emerge.

As we look back at the year, which is about to end in just another month, let us look back at the top 5 infectious diseases of 2025.

Respiratory Infections

In 2025, respiratory infections were the most widespread, with new COVID-19 variants emerging every now and then. Along with this common flu too has emerged. This has weakened immunity and made elderly and infants, and people with comorbidities more vulnerable to the diseases.

The new COVID variants in India are linked with the JN.1 variant and its sub-variants like LF.7 and NB.1.8. The COVID variants in the UK which were active were XFG, NB.1.8.1, or known as the Stratus and Nimbus variants. Other variants were XFG.3, XFG.5, and XFG.3.4.1.

Tuberculosis (TB)

Tuberculosis still continues to be a major infectious disease in 2025, especially in countries like India. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), tuberculosis caused 1.25 billion deaths in 2023. It becomes the world's leading infectious disease after COVID-19.

Each day, close to 3,425 people lose their lives to TB, and close to 30,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease. About 10.8 million people got TB in 2023, which include 6 million, 3.6 million women, and 1.3 million children.

Dengue and other mosquito-borne infections

Mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, chikungunya, malaria, and Zika continued to rise in 2025. The reason being changing weather patterns. Dr Sanjeev Bagai, Chairman of Nephron Clinic, and Senior Consultant Pediatrician and Nephrologist points out that earlier the mosquito-borne diseases were seasonal, however, due to rapid urbanization and climate changes, these diseases have stayed all round the year.

Hepatitis Infections

Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C are among the most common Hepatitis infections in 2025. However, there have been outbreaks of Hepatitis A and E in unsafe water and food. Chronic hepatitis can also damage liver and also lead to cancer. It is a concern because it spreads through contaminated food, unsafe water, blood, and sexual contact. While many people may not show symptoms until serious liver damage occurs.

Symptoms also include jaundice, dark urine, fatigue, nausea, and abdominal pain.

Gastrointestinal Infections

Food- and water-borne infections are still common across the world. Illnesses like salmonella, cholera, rotavirus, and norovirus often spread in areas where hygiene, sanitation, and food safety are poorly maintained.

Why are these infections risky?

They can spread extremely fast, especially among children and older adults. Severe diarrhea and vomiting can lead to dangerous dehydration if not treated in time.

What symptoms should you look out for?

Persistent diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, fever, and signs of dehydration. The best prevention is simple: drink clean water, wash hands regularly, and eat properly cooked food.

When we think about cancer risk, it’s natural to wonder, “is it genetic?”

The truth is, sometimes it is, but in many cases, cancer develops from a mix of lifestyle, environmental factors, and DNA changes that occur over a lifetime. Understanding the difference between inherited genetic risks and those acquired along the way can help people make smarter decisions about screening, prevention, and treatment, and empower families to take proactive steps for their health.

Inherited genes or life choices?

Cancer arises from a series of changes/mutations in cells that disrupt normal growth control. Many of these changes happen over a person’s lifetime, influenced by exposures (like tobacco, UV rays, infections), aging, and random DNA errors. These are called “somatic mutations” and occur in our tissues—they are not inherited, and are not passed to children.

By contrast, a smaller fraction of cancers are influenced by inherited mutations called “germline mutations”; these are changes in the DNA that you are born with, and are present in every cell of your body. These mutations can predispose someone to cancer by impairing DNA repair, controlling cell division, or through other mechanisms. Approximately 5–10% of all cancers are thought to have a strong hereditary component.

So, while your DNA can influence your cancer risk, most cancers don’t occur because of an inherited gene defect. And even when a germline mutation is present, environment, lifestyle, and chance usually play significant roles in whether cancer actually develops.

Recognizing hereditary cancer syndromes

When should we suspect hereditary cancers? Here are red flags:

A strong family history of cancer, especially the same type (e.g. multiple members with breast cancer, or several relatives with colon cancer).

• Early-onset cancer, e.g. diagnosis before the age of 50 or 40 years.
• Multiple primary cancers in the same person (e.g., ovarian + breast).

Rare cancers or specific tumor types tied to known syndromes (e.g. medullary thyroid cancer, male breast cancer, pancreatic cancer in some families).

Known syndrome features, such as colon polyps and colon cancer in Lynch syndrome.

In such cases, genetic testing can identify mutations in genes like BRCA1/2, Lynch syndrome genes (MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, EPCAM), TP53, PALB2, and others. Identifying carriers has implications for targeted screening (e.g. colonoscopic surveillance or mammography at regular intervals), preventive surgery like mastectomy, and sometimes therapy in case cancer does develop.

How do hereditary mutations lead to cancer?

Imagine your cells are factories, following a strict set of instructions (your DNA). Inherited mutations can mean that a “safety check” is broken from the start. For example:

A mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes weakens the cell’s ability to repair DNA. Over time, unrepaired damage accumulates, raising the risk of developing breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancer.

Mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes (as in Lynch syndrome) allow errors during DNA copying to persist, boosting mutation load and increasing the risk of developing colon, endometrium, stomach, and other cancers.

But even when a high-risk mutation is present, cancer doesn’t appear overnight. Additional “hits”, or more mutations, microenvironment changes, hormonal exposures, or lifestyle factors need to typically accumulate before cells turn cancerous.

Why does hereditary information matter?

You might ask: if it’s a small percentage of cancers, does knowing about hereditary risk make a difference?

The answer is, yes, absolutely. Knowing your hereditary risk of cancer has some important benefits:

Prevention & early detection: If you carry a pathogenic mutation, you can undergo more frequent surveillance, chemoprevention (e.g. tamoxifen for breast cancer), or risk-reducing surgeries (e.g. prophylactic mastectomy or oophorectomy).

Therapeutic choices: Certain inherited mutations also influence how cancers respond to therapy. For example, PARP inhibitors are effective in tumors with BRCA-related homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). Thus, knowing that a patient has a germline BRCA mutation may alter drug selection.

Family risk & cascade testing: Identifying a hereditary mutation allows cascade testing, where close relatives can also get genetic testing done. This helps them understand risks and take prevention measures before cancer develops.

Clinical trial access: Many modern trials require knowledge of inherited DNA defects. Patients with known germline mutations may qualify for therapies designed precisely for those DNA repair vulnerabilities.

However, it is also important to understand that absence of a germline mutation does not mean absence of risk. Many cancers are driven purely by somatic mutations, and many hereditary variants remain undiscovered or classified as Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUS). Testing negative for known genes does not guarantee immunity.

Also, hereditary risk is not absolute: a person may carry a mutation but never develop cancer, due to protective factors like healthy lifestyle, background genetics, or luck. Interpretation must be done thoughtfully, ideally with genetic counselling.

Conclusion

While hereditary mutations play a role in a minority of cases, their impact on prevention, therapy, and family planning can be profound. Knowing whether cancer “came from your DNA” is often less important than using that knowledge wisely—both for patients and their relatives.

As we move deeper into the era of precision medicine, clinicians and patients alike should appreciate that hereditary and somatic worlds coexist, and that DNA insight is a tool—not a verdict.