Arianna Huffington Tells People Using Ozempic That 'Changing Your Food Habits Is Key' (Exclusive)

Arianna Huffington spoke about the recent popularity of using Ozempic for weight loss, telling PEOPLE that “people forget that you also need to eat better”

Arianna Huffington is urging people to build healthy eating habits if they're going to use semaglutide for weight loss.

During the Time100 gala Wednesday, the Huffington Post co-founder and Thrive Global CEO spoke to PEOPLE about the growing popularity of Ozempic, an FDA-approved prescription medication typically used to help lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.

Ozempic is one of the brand names for semaglutide and tirzepatide — also known as Wegovy and Mounjaro — which works in the brain to impact satiety.

"Well if people are diabetic it can really help them," Huffington, 72, explains. "But I think people forget that you also need to eat better. You know, if you are on Ozempic and eat junk, processed foods, too much sugar, you are not going to really change your eating habits. And we know that what leads to disease are ultra processed foods and sugar."

"So, learning to also change your food habits is key," she adds.

Related: Stars Who've Spoken About Ozempic — and What They've Said

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During Wednesday's event, Padma Lakshmi also spoke to PEOPLE about the Ozempic trend, explaining that there's a "deeper" issue that people should pay attention to.

"You gotta be careful what you do with your body," she explains. "On Top Chef I eat a lot, and I understand the tendency. But also the pressure for women in media is much different than men in media. So we have to maybe look deeper to the reasons why, as a society, not just put it on the shoulders of the women who just want the same opportunity that men get."

"We just want an equal shake," Lakshmi continued. "We have to look good, we have to sound good, we have to be strong but not too strong, we have to be vulnerable but not too weak. And it can feel like a really dichotomous, tall order."

"So, I think we have to be kinder to each other and to ourselves," she adds.

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