Semaglutide drugs cause fast weight loss but carry serious health risks when used for slimming, Dr Lyudmila Emilova warned on the "Delnitsi" programme on Eurocom TV, presented by Nikolay Kolev.

The drugs were made to treat type 2 diabetes, but many people now use them to lose weight. Dr Emilova is against this trend.

She said the drugs mimic the hormone that signals fullness, so the brain decides the body does not need food. This upsets the hormone system, and food moves more slowly through the stomach and bowels.

The doctor also listed possible severe complications: paralysis of the stomach, ileus (a blocked bowel), and inflammation of the pancreas and gallbladder. She said the risk of medullary thyroid cancer is also higher.

Mental health can suffer too. Dr Emilova named anhedonia, a state in which a person loses the ability to feel joy, as well as severe depression and, in some cases, suicidal thoughts.

She added that people who lose weight this chemical way often lose muscle mass, and their skin sags and ages early.

Instead, Dr Emilova recommends therapeutic fasting and a mostly plant-based diet rich in fibre, combined with moderate exercise and programmes to cope with stress. In her view, a normal weight should come as a side effect of the body's overall recovery.