Kourtney K. creates her own version of GLP-1, except it’s not GLP-1.

With a $65 million net worth and a prominent place in the unofficial U.S. royal family (the Kardashians), Kourtney Kardashian Barker is a wellness enthusiast with significant influence.

And she's got a few health-focused businesses under her belt.

There's POOSH, a wellness website that brands itself as "the modern guide to living your best life," and supplement brand Lemme, created to "help you live your best life".

Through Lemme, Kourt's jumped on the Olympic craze and launched a new supplement to help with weight loss.

Ozempic has made Hollywood lose it over the last year.

According to Harvard, it's a type of GLP-1 drug that is traditionally used to manage type 2 diabetes by triggering the release of insulin in the body.

These drugs have been quietly used to manage the medical condition for around two decades. Nice.

But celebs have cottoned on to another effect of the drug.

Basically, it also reduces hunger by delaying the time it takes for your stomach to empty. So you feel full for longer, and don't eat.

And ta-da, weight loss!

The recent popularity of GLP-1 drugs for easy weight loss actually resulted in a shortage of supply for diabetics who actually need it.

So, with huge demand and proven weight-loss results—of course Kourt's jumped on the bandwagon!

But Kourtney Kardashian's new supplement won't be making its way into my cart anytime soon.

Why?

Well, there's the fact I have some qualms about taking away access to life-saving pharmaceuticals from people who need it, just to suppress my appetite, but also:

Her GLP-1 DailyTM supplement doesn't contain any GLP-1.

Instead, it's a "natural alternative" for GPL-1 drugs, according to Dr. Kathleen Valenton—Kourtney's own doctor and member of the Lemme medical advisory board.

So, what does it contain?

Eriomin lemon fruit extract, Supresa saffron extract, and Morosil red orange fruit extract—ingredients that allegedly help your body produce GPL-1.

But the thing is, while these plant compounds might influence GPL-1 pathways or create weight loss results, they're very different to pharmaceutical drugs like Ozempic or other synthetic forms of GLP-1.

In short, while they won't harm you, these supplements aren't likely going to help you lose much weight.

As endocrinologist Dr. Kumar told Vogue about the effectiveness of Lemme supplement, “We’d need more research—with women and underrepresented groups included—to fully understand the efficacy and safety of these ingredients.”

Alright, so what does this have to do with marketing?

Welp.

Selling a GPL-1 supplement that doesn't contain GPL-1 and doing it successfully...

Somewhat impressive.

To echo the words of expert in nutrition and food science, Professor Gunter Kuhnle, the Lemme GPL-1Daily is a case of “very clever marketing."

Agreed!

Despite telling Vouge the supplement was "never just about weight loss," Kourtney Kardashian has jumped into the weight-loss, Ozempic-driven craze, and used it to her advantage.

And I kinda don't blame her!

Because, as stated in the NZ Herald, the wellness industry, including dietary supplements, "is worth about US$1.5 trillion (NZ$2.3t) a year globally, and it's predicted to keep on growing."

So, if you had a huge following and a staggering amount of influence (say, Kardashian was your last name), why wouldn't you take advantage of this opportunity in the market?

And, this might be a strange take from me, but while the supplements probably don't work much (IMO!) by releasing these, perhaps it will take some pressure off the actual pharmaceuticals people need to live.

In saying this, making money off people hoping to lose weight is not my jam either.

So, I guess make what you will of it.

But as I said before, the GPL-1 Daily is not on my supplement wish list.

If you do want my list of supplement recommendations, I'm more than happy to help.

-Maggie, Writer