UNKNOWN INGREDIENTS
Stick-on patches, costing as little as S$5, claim to “eat fat away” and promise results comparable to some popular weight loss drugs.
Listings have since been removed by Shopee and TikTok, but remain on other e-commerce platforms.
Makers and sellers of such patches claim that as long as these have contact with the skin, they can help the user curb cravings, reduce food intake, and ultimately lead to weight loss.
Adjunct Associate Professor Khoo Chin Meng, head and senior consultant at National University Hospital’s division of endocrinology, said the ingredients used to make them are largely unknown.
“So these ingredients or chemicals can be harmful to the body. It can be toxic to some organs, like, for example, the kidney or the liver,” he added.
“But what is actually also important is that in terms of perception, it may actually give wrong perception to patients who actually buy this medication.”
The claim that the patches may help to improve glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) production in the body is not scientifically proven, said Dr Khoo, referring to the naturally occurring gut hormone that has sparked widespread obsession for its role in weight loss.
In healthy adults, GLP-1 regulates blood sugar and appetite, signalling to the brain when the body is full.
Because natural GLP-1 is broken down within minutes, drugmakers have developed longer-lasting medicines that mimic its effects.
Some of these drugs, known as semaglutides, are sold under brand names such as Ozempic – an anti-diabetic medication – and Wegovy, and have been approved by Singapore authorities.
When injected, they keep a person feeling full for days instead of minutes, leading to rapid weight loss of about 15 per cent of body weight within a year.
