This is about semaglutid, the substance found in the weight loss medications Ozempic and Wegovy and their effect on heart and vascular health. It has already been shown earlier that the substance, which originally is a diabetes medication, in addition to weight loss can reduce the risk of, among other things, heart attack and stroke.
Since overweight and obesity increase the risk of these diseases, a theory has been that it is the weight loss that has led to the reduced risk. Now, researchers have made new analyses of data from a study that follows over 17,000 people over 45 years with overweight or obesity. The participants were over 45 years old and had diagnosed heart and vascular disease but no diabetes. In the study, the test subjects were randomized to receive an injection with either semaglutid once a week or placebo.
From the analysis, which is published in the journal Lancet, it appears that the reduced risk of heart and vascular disease seems to occur regardless of how quickly the participants lose weight. The brain-protective effect occurred before the test subjects had experienced significant weight loss.
The researchers also saw that shrinking waist measurements were strongly linked to better heart health. But it only explained about 30 percent of the reduced risk.
The researchers mean that this may indicate that semaglutid can have an effect on the heart and vessels beyond what is linked to weight. Novo Nordisk, which is behind the medications, has funded the study.
Semaglutid was approved in 2018 in the EU for type 2 diabetes and in 2022 for weight loss. It and similar preparations have been shown to reduce the risk of about 40 different disease conditions. Known side effects are nausea, constipation, and diarrhea, but also increased risk of, among other things, arthritis. It is unclear how those who use the medications are affected in the long term.
