OAT-Zempic! Dieters claim blitzed-up oats has the same weight loss effect as the blockbuster drug…but is it true?

The hunt is on for a ‘natural’ way to achieve the same dramatic weight loss as seen with the game-changing drug, Ozempic.

Dieters on social media have made a number of suggestions, including the little-known supplement Berberine and even cinnamon. 

But the latest food hack said to mimic the anti-hunger effects of Ozempic is simple; blending up some oats.

The so-called ‘Oat-Zempic’ trend involves drinking a blend of oats, water, cinnamon and lime daily, which adovcates say can help shed serious pounds.

The majority of those who partake in the eating habit refrain from eating other meals, instead adding in small snacks if they get hungry. 

TikTok user Fred_ddy92 has lost 10 pounds over 21 days of drinking the oat shake, starting at 241 pounds. 

User anna.2490 shared that she had lost five pounds, going from 243 pounds to 238 pounds in a week by drinking the shake twice a day. 

Meanwhile User TastyCara shared that in five days she had lost four and a half pounds by drinking OAT-zempic and picking up intermittent fasting. 

Despite the hype, dietitians are less convinced that the shake is a miracle drug. 

‘It absolutely is essentially eating a bowl of oatmeal,’ Dr Alok Patel, a pediatrician at Stanford, told ABC. 

And just drinking this oat beverage won’t give you the same effect that you would find from taking Ozempic.

The drug works by interferring with signals between the brain and the gut that tell you you’re hungry.

Those who lose weight while partaking in this trend ‘are creating a false equivalency’ between the oat shake and the weight loss drug, said Dr Patel.

However, this doesn’t mean the oat drink won’t help you to lose weight.

Fred_ddy92 shares his daily progress as he makes OAT-zempic on his TikTok

‘Eating oatmeal in the morning, instead of some other, more processed breakfasts can lower cholesterol, great for heart health, reduce your risk of chronic disease, vitamins and minerals, and that soluble fiber will keep you fuller for longer,’ says Dr Patel

‘A half a cup of oatmeal, that’s a lot of fiber and some water to help them feel full, which may lead to a caloric deficit which is why people are seeing weight loss.’

Fans of the fad have noticed this effect. 

‘This drink gets you so full that you don’t even want to eat, so you eat less, which is crazy, Fred_ddy92 said in a TikTok documenting the tenth day of his journey.

He also shared that since he started taking ‘Oat-zempic’, he’d reduced portion sizes and increased time spent at the gym.

Ozempic helps people lose weight by slowing the rate that they digest food and making you feel full for longer

‘At the end of the end of the day if it is helping people to start their day with a very nutritious breakfast such as oatmeal, then I am all for it,’ Dr Tommy Martin, a pediatrician from Boston Children’s Hospital, shared in  a TikTok. 

But other nutritionists caution that the oat drink could fall into a dangerous category of diet trends, where people use shakes to replace whole food, and end up consuming far too few calories. 

Registered dietitian Maya Feller told Good Morning America does not recommend replacing your meals with ‘Oat-zempic’.

‘I would not use this because you’re not going to get all the nutrients that your body needs. You’re essentially starving your cells of what they want so they can function optimally. It’s simply not worth it,’ she said.