The Kardashians are selling 'GLP-1 supplements.' Here's why it's a problem

Weight loss drugs are trending—and let’s just say the Kardashians are keeping up. Last September, Kourtney Kardashian’s brand Lemme launched a new product called GLP-1 Daily, which indicates it is a supplement for GLP-1 support, appetite management, and weight management . It’s important patients don’t take its name too literally, though, because—as Lemme’s webpage admits—GLP-1 Daily doesn’t actually contain any synthetic GLP-1 among its ingredients, and it “is not a GLP-1 agonist drug.”

Instead, Lemme’s GLP-1 Daily capsules contain various extracts that may help reduce feelings of hunger and promote weight loss in some people, or—in the populations they’ve been more widely studied in—some mice.

That being said, GLP-1 Daily is probably not the type of product that doctors who prescribe scientifically backed medications with FDA verifications want to recommend to their patients.

Here’s what’s in them

Mir Ali, MD, a board-certified bariatric surgeon and the medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, says that Lemme’s formula cannot be compared to drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy. He advises people to “be cautious about celebrity endorsements because you know they're just doing it for the money.”

The three ingredients that Lemme’s website highlights are:

• Morosil

• Supresa

• Eriomin

Morosil is an extract from the juice of a type of orange called Moro red oranges. Some studies have found that supplementation of Morosil for 12 weeks can help reduce weight, BMI, waist circumference, and hip circumference in some users.^[]

Supresa is a saffron extract that, in one eight-week randomized study in mildly overweight women,  helped users reduce snacking tendencies and feel satiated longer.^[]

Eriomin is a patented supplement that contains a blend of flavonoids including eriocitrin, which is a citrus extract from fruits like lemons.^[] In animal studies, low doses of eriocitrin have been shown to improve insulin levels and metabolism of glucose and lipids.^[]

But while Dr. Ali acknowledges that some of Lemme’s ingredients may be “helpful to a mild extent for weight loss,” he maintains that they are no alternative to an FDA-approved and verified medication. 

It's just predatory marketing

As for the Kardashian-type products, “All the supplements that she's touting—and a lot of other places are touting—have shown at most a mild effect on suppressing hunger,” Dr. Ali says. “People can accomplish this by drinking more water, too, and other methods that don't necessarily involve taking extra supplements.”

Dr. Ali encourages patients to visit their doctor before browsing Kourteny Kardashian’s webpage. Still, he says that her supplements don’t appear to contain dangerous ingredients and may not directly harm a patient’s health. For anyone eying a celebrity weight loss product, it’s best that they do their research before ordering—including looking up scientifically backed studies showing that the medication works—and set realistic expectations.

“It's possible for people to lose significant weight, but they really have to make significant dietary changes,” Dr. Ali says. “They can't just rely on a supplement to make those changes for them.”