As GLP-1 weight-loss drugs soar in popularity, the list of unfortunate side effects that accompany them grows longer. Among the most surprising: scurvy, a rare disease.
Scurvy, caused by severe vitamin-C deficiency, is often associated with pirates—not patients on self-transformation journeys.
Symptoms can include fatigue, swollen legs, tooth loss, and bleeding under the skin, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In serious cases, it can lead to death.
In December 2023, English singer Robbie Williams stated that he was taking “something like Ozempic” in an interview with The Times. Just five months later, he revealed that he was diagnosed with scurvy after he “stopped eating” and “wasn’t getting nutrients.”
Robbie Williams attends the “Better Man” European Premiere on November 27, 2024, in London, England.
Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
Williams called the condition “a 17th-Century pirate disease,” and he wasn’t wrong: scurvy used to be common among sailors, whose months-long voyages with little access to fresh fruits and vegetables led to dire nutrition deficiencies.
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GLP-1 agonists, including brand-name pharmaceuticals like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, can aid patients’ weight-loss efforts. This is partly due to the drugs’ appetite-suppressing effects.
As the medication’s use became more widespread, patients reported undesirable aesthetic effects caused by rapid weight loss and loose skin, like “Ozempic butt“ or ”Ozempic face.“ However, some dietitians warn that taking GLP-1s could lead to serious vitamin deficiencies.
Clare Collins, named “one of Australia’s top dietitians” by the Australian Financial Review, now warns that cases of scurvy are on the rise. She led a new systematic review that found that most global trials of GLP-1 drugs had not accounted for patients’ diets and nutrition.
“A reduction in body weight does not automatically mean the person is well-nourished or healthy. Nutrition plays a critical role in health, and right now it’s largely missing from the evidence,” she said.
She said that some patients did not consume sufficient food or the appropriate foods and experienced vitamin deficiencies.
An earlier study pointed in the same direction. It followed 460,000 patients with type 2 diabetes who were using GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Within a year, over 22% were diagnosed with nutritional deficiencies. Collins’s solution: “Let’s not wait for every [general practitioner] to see a case of scurvy, let’s get on the front foot and link these GP chronic management plans to a dietitian referral,” she said.
The problem then does not appear to be so much the GLP-1 drugs themselves, but the potentially imbalanced diets that follow when a person loses appetite. Therefore, consultation with a dietitian can be highly beneficial when starting out on GLP-1s.
Magriet Raxworthy, chief executive of Dietitians Australia, told the Australian Financial Review that without one, “People may struggle to meet their nutritional needs and can be placed at risk of significant muscle loss, bone density loss, micronutrient deficiencies and disordered eating behaviors.”
The Hollywood-favored drugs may keep rising in popularity, as they are now available as daily pills.