Sarah Vine: I feel better than ever since going on Ozempic

At the age of 57, when most women are starting to suffer the effects of ageing, I can honestly say I feel happier and healthier than I ever did in my forties. Possibly even my thirties.

I’m no longer permanently exhausted. I don’t wake up in the morning after 10 hours in bed feeling I could use another 10.

I don’t fall asleep in the afternoons. Climbing stairs doesn’t leave my knees in agony.

I can’t remember the last time I had a sniffle. I happily cycle to and from the office.

My mental health is better, too. The self-loathing that has dogged me for years has, if not silenced, been reduced to a whisper. I no longer look in the mirror and hate my body.

I even bought a pair of jeans — the first since my twenties.

The source of this renewed enthusiasm for life? Pilates? HRT? Divorce? A new boyfriend?

None of the above. It’s Ozempic.

A raft of new studies into the effects of semaglutide (the generic name for such jabs) shows it has “far-reaching benefits” beyond what doctors initially imagined.

It can help with heart failure, kidney disease, high blood pressure and even improves outcomes among COVID sufferers by 34 per cent.

In particular, there is strong evidence it slows biological ageing, “helping people live longer and better” and leading to suggestions that scientists might have stumbled across the much-fabled fountain of youth.

Key is how it reduces inflammation, which is linked to most illnesses of ageing, including cancer, diabetes, dementia and heart disease. The studies found that regardless of how much weight patients lost, they all experienced a reduction in inflammation.

Inevitably, there’s been a backlash against semaglutide, most commonly sold as Ozempic or Wegovy, and those, like me, who use it.

People say: “It’s a cop out. You’re cheating, etc, etc.” I honestly don’t care. Be as judgmental as you want: no amount of disapproval can refute that since taking it, I’ve felt a million times better. I started Ozempic long before most people had heard of it. In 2018, having lost nearly 13kg and put it back on (for about the millionth time), I decided enough was enough.

As well as being fully menopausal, I had an underactive thyroid and other autoimmune problems. I was unable to control my weight, my joints felt on fire and I was struggling to focus. I hated myself for being such a useless, fat failure. When my doctor warned that I was pre-diabetic, I knew I had to get a grip. Not having the willpower to stick to his recommended 1200-calorie-a-day regime, I needed help.

So I decided to get a gastric band. A friend had one, and while not without challenges, it had produced the desired result.

She mentioned her consultant, Professor Marcus Reddy, and I booked an appointment.

I’d walked into his clinic in July 2018 weighing almost 95kg. He told me about a new drug from America, and that it worked “like a chemical gastric band”.

He started me on liraglutide, the precursor to semaglutide.

Not long after, the weekly jab was approved, and I switched to that. I’ve never looked back.

Five years on, I’m now on a maintenance dose. My weight has been stable at about 76kg for a long time, and that’s great for my 172cm height. I could probably lose more if I upped my dose, but I’m happy (and grateful) at this size. What’s remarkable, though, are the changes people can’t see.

Because of my thyroid, but also as I’m on semaglutide, I have twice-yearly blood tests. They’ve shown marked improvements in all areas.

With the drug, the likelihood of me costing the NHS a small fortune in a few years’ time has significantly reduced. We’re lucky in my family: there’s not much cancer, but there’s an awful lot of cardiovascular disease.

It has also helped me be more active again, since the debilitating pain I had in my joints when I exercised has subsided thanks not only to me being lighter, but also because of the effects of reduced inflammation.

Contrary to what people say, I still enjoy my food; I just don’t take a bath in it any more. Or spend half the morning thinking about lunch.

Semaglutide has genuinely given me a new lease of life, and now — thanks to all these studies — I know why. It’s time people stopped dismissing such treatments as a fast fix for fatties or a vanity drug for celebrities; and recognised that, properly prescribed, they could transform thousands of lives for the better.

Sarah Vine is a columnist for The Daily Mail