At cardiology conferences and diabetes meetings, doctors can’t help noticing that thin seems to be very in.

The government is expected to pay lower prices for Ozempic and Wegovy starting in 2027. The Trump administration will decide whether to expand coverage for millions of Americans.

An international commission made the case for focusing on body fat quantity and the illnesses people experience.

A new study assesses the effects of sugar-laden beverages on global health, with higher rates of consumption found in Latin America and parts of Africa.

A new trend gaining popularity among people trying to lose weight is microdosing the diabetes medication Ozempic.

With approximately 70% of American adults meeting the criteria for being obese or overweight, more people are turning to weight loss medications to help them shed pounds.

Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, while its counterpart, Wegovy, is approved for treating obesity. Both are made by Novo Nordisk.

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Eli Lilly also offers a diabetes medication, Mounjaro, as well as a version for weight loss, Zepbound.

"Ozempic is the only version among the weekly injectables — Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and Mounjaro — that has the option to ‘hack’ the pen for a smaller dose," Dr. Alexandra Sowa, an obesity medicine specialist and founder of SoWell in New York, told Fox News Digital.

She is also the author of the book "The Ozempic Revolution" that is set to be released on Jan. 7.

Fox News Digital spoke to the experts to get the skinny on this latest trend.

Microdosing Ozempic refers to using smaller amounts compared to the standard therapeutic doses that are traditionally prescribed for managing type 2 diabetes and aiding weight loss, experts say. 

This practice is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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"Health care clinicians do not typically recommend this approach, as the standard dosing regimen is based on clinical trials determining the most effective and safe amount for these conditions," noted Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, obesity medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

There are no established guidelines for microdosing – although there are reports on social media of using 10 to 100 times lower than standard prescriptions, added Dr. Christopher McGowan, a gastroenterologist and obesity specialist who runs True You Weight Loss in Cary, North Carolina.

Some people get confused by the terminology, the doctors noted.

"I think there's a little bit of a misconception, as some people say ‘I'm microdosing’ when they're just on the starting doses or don’t go all the way up in the escalation titration dosing of the medication," Sowa said.

The primary reason for microdosing is to reduce costs, according to McGowan.

For example, he said, a patient might think that if a full prescription costs over $250 per week, they may be able to achieve some benefit with just $25 worth of the medication.

The average monthly retail price of Ozempic ranges from $1,000 or more without insurance, per GoodRx.

People may also pursue microdosing to reduce the incidence or severity of side effects such as nausea, vomiting or stomach discomfort, according to Stanford.

"Some individuals might start with microdoses to gradually acclimate their body to the medication, potentially easing into the full therapeutic dose over time," she said.

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Any potential benefit of the medication, however, will likely wane proportionally with lower doses, experts noted.

Individuals may also microdose due to supply challenges, according to Dr. Amy Rothberg, clinical professor of medicine in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes at the University of Michigan. 

"Some feel they may derive a benefit from microdosing by being able to extend their supply and may perceive an effect," Rothberg, who is also the medical director of Rewind, a lifestyle program for type 2 diabetes patients, told Fox News Digital. "As we know, the placebo effect may have a strong impact."

The most likely risk of microdosing is a lack of effectiveness, McGowan noted.

"Microdosing Ozempic or other [weight-loss] medications is entirely off-label and unproven, with no supporting clinical studies," he cautioned.

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Stanford also warned that smaller doses may not provide adequate blood sugar management, leading to uncontrolled diabetes and associated complications.

It can also lead to suboptimal weight loss and unpredictable results, as well as the potential for misuse, she added.

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People who microdose often use a "compounded" version of the medication, which the FDA does not regulate.

"This introduces risks such as contamination, inconsistent formulations and uncertainty about the actual strength of the product being injected," McGowan stated.

Additionally, these compounded versions are usually dispensed in vials, which requires a syringe to draw it up, in contrast to the FDA-approved versions that are simpler to use.

Using the compounded versions through vials runs the risk of drawing up too much medication — so instead of microdosing, it's possible to macrodose, Sowa warned. 

Some providers are still comfortable offering microdosing for select patients with one caveat — that people should always consult a health care clinician before altering their medication regimen. 

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"As long as it is being dispensed and monitored by a physician, I don’t see how anybody is going to overdose, especially when we are giving such small amounts," Dr. Suzanne A. Trott, a double board-certified plastic and general surgeon in Beverly Hills, told Fox News Digital.

"I have seen a lot of patients who are given metformin for weight loss — I don’t see how this is any different," said Trott, who runs her own microdosing clinic.

Trott pointed out that there are many "off-label" practices offered to patients.

"Botox and fillers are not even FDA-approved for most of the places we use them," she noted.

Experts agree that sustained weight loss will not occur with medication alone.

"I think people find that it’s easier to take a drug, but neglect concomitant behavioral changes," Rothberg said.

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In the absence of changes to diet and physical activity patterns, the long-term benefits will disappear once the drug is stopped, she noted.

Trott also recommends maintaining consistent exercise, strength training, hydration and high protein intake to maintain muscle mass.

Fox News Digital reached out to Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic, for comment.

Billionaire entrepreneur and top adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk, touted that he has reaped the benefits of a controversial class of weight-loss drugs, after fellow top Trump adviser, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said the trendy new class of drugs is bad for Americans' health. 

"Ozempic Santa" Musk posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Christmas Day, alongside an image of himself in front of a well-decorated Christmas tree dressed as Santa Claus — but without his signature big belly. "Like Cocaine Bear, but Santa and Ozempic!"

In a follow-up post, Musk clarified that he is taking the brand-name version called Mounjaro, but said the clunky name didn't "have the same ring to it."

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Musk has been tapped by Trump — along with former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy — to head the soon-to-be Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) aimed at cutting down on wasteful government spending and red tape. Meanwhile, Kennedy is Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services and, if confirmed, Trump has given Kennedy permission to "go wild on health" as long as he doesn't interfere with Trump's domestic energy goals.

Musk's social media post over the holidays turned heads, considering Kennedy has expressed opposition to semaglutide. Originally developed as a diabetes medication, semaglutide has been used more widely in recent years for its appetite-suppressing effects.

"There's a huge push to sell this to the American people," Kennedy said of the semaglutide medication Ozempic when asked about his thoughts on the medication in October by Fox News' Greg Gutfeld. "They make this drug in Denmark, and in Denmark they do not recommend it for diabetes, or for obesity. They recommend dietary and behavioral changes." 

"They're counting on selling it to Americans because we are so stupid and so addicted to drugs," Kennedy added. He also concluded that the U.S. could solve the obesity crisis in America "overnight" if they just had access to, and ate, better quality food.

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Kennedy has run on a platform to "Make America Healthy Again," but Ozempic, he says, will not help in those efforts. Musk, however, has said that "nothing would do more to improve public health" than making Ozempic more widely available.

During President Joe Biden's final days in office, his administration proposed expanding Medicare and Medicaid coverage for semaglutides to make them more widely available for those who want to reap the weight-losing benefits of the drug.   

Besides Musk, Kennedy could also potentially clash with Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, who has also expressed support for drugs like Ozempic. 

"I think the amount of good done by these medications by helping people lose weight and improve their cardiovascular system — and it might have long-term benefits in a lot of other areas as well, where obesity causes inflammation — is massive," Oz said last year in a video posted to his Instagram account.

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Kennedy, who very well could become Oz's boss if they are both approved by the Senate, appeared to scale back his criticism of the new weight-loss drug amid his efforts to court support for his nomination from members of Congress.

"The first line of response should be lifestyle. It should be eating well, making sure that you don't get obese," Kennedy said during a quick interview with CNBC on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, before adding that anti-obesity drugs like Ozempic "have a place" in the American medical community.  

Representatives for Musk, Kennedy and the Trump transition team did not provide a comment to Fox News Digital for this story.

It may be a longstanding practice, but critics say routine weight measurements are driving some patients away from care.