Dr Ben Gonzalez: Obesity doctor on the growing interest in the New Zealand grown weight loss drug Calocurb

A leading obesity doctor is throwing his full support behind a New Zealand grown alternative to weight loss drug Ozempic.  

As doctors grapple with a global shortage of the injectable, interest in the natural product Calocurb is climbing. 

Its active ingredient Amarasate is extracted from hops grown at the top of the South Island.  

Obesity doctor Ben Gonzalez told Mike Hosking those in the industry have seen success from it over the past seven to ten years. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
A zimpic is changing the world, of course, but this
country has the opportunity that flows from it, so we
grow as it turns out a key ingredient. It's a
natural alternative adam amata site. It's extracted from hops and
sales have doubled every quarter. Is a zimpic. Shortages create
a sort of a perfect storm for a natural alternative.
Now the whole category is expected to be worth they say,
about one hundred billion dollars by twenty thirty. Leading international

(00:22):
obesity expert doctor Ben Gonzalez is with us on this
has been very good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Well, good morning to you mate.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
What's your view on this whole GLP revolution.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, it's interesting.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
I've been using this medication for over seven years, and
of course celebrity attention just kind of shoots up, you know,
he shoots up the attention a couple of years ago,
and now it's become It wasn't even on the on
the radars less than three years ago, and now it's
one of the top five drugs prescribed. So I think

(00:54):
it's a very useful, powerful, safe drug, but it needs
to be used appropriately, with appropriate you know, doctor intervention.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
But the problem is it isn't, is it.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
No, it isn't. And I've been watching especially over the
last year and a half and watching these pop up
kind of weight loss spas. These weight losses are just
kind of selling the.

Speaker 3 (01:15):
Drug and doctors not being fully trained on how to
manage the medication, just kind of writing the prescriptions willy nilly,
and and.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Then there you have it. So we've got like I said,
it's relatively safe, but but it's not being used appropriately.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
This natural side of the equation, this is amarasite. Given
it comes from hops, presumably it was there all along.
Did we just not know about it or we didn't
know what it could do?

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Oh? Well, definitely, we know about what bidders do for
human physiology. We know it's a protective. It's very protective
for human physiology for safety reasons, you know, all right,
especially for women, especially for pregnant women. Right. So we've
known ab out the bitter receptors, but we haven't known

(02:03):
is the usefulness of these types of things for helping
with hunger, weight loss, and blood sugger management. So yes,
we've known for a while. We've been studying it for
a while. The bottom line is that now it's coming
to fruition. The studies have been going on over the
last seven to ten years, and we're seeing the benefits

(02:23):
of that, this natural substance doing good.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
Things pound for pound, as you would say in America,
if I take a zimpic versus the bitters, does it
work the same way with the same of fake do
or not?

Speaker 2 (02:37):
Oh? Very good question, because that is the question that
time will give us some more answers. Right. That's a
little early because there's no studies that look at ocempic
against the emeristate or you know, comparing those two products together.
There's no studies that do that. However, we do know

(02:58):
with human studies that it does similar effect to a sempeic.
I've been finding in my practice that same effect of
triggering those hormones in the gut to allow for satiety,
for managing hunger and for managing blood sugar. So yes,
you do get in those days, you do get similar response.

(03:18):
Now we're looking for a clinical response, right, and I've
been seeing in my practice pound four pound, as you said,
I have been seeing it work very very well, similar
to the Osempics.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
It's a fascinating area. Been appreciate Tom very much. Much
to talk to you, doctor Being Gonzalez, leading international obesity expert.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
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