The medication behind Ozempic and Wegovy, known as semaglutide, might have important advantages for coronary heart well being, decreasing the chance of stroke or cardiac arrest even in those that do not drop some pounds.
The information comes from the most important and longest scientific trial on semaglutide use amongst these with out diabetes, known as the Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes (SELECT) trial. This landmark research concerned roughly 17,600 chubby or overweight adults with pre-existing heart problems and was funded by the drug producer, Novo Nordisk.
Final 12 months, researchers used that data to point out weekly injections of semaglutide, acquired for over three years, can scale back the chance of stroke, coronary heart assault, or deadly cardiovascular occasions by almost 20 percent, on common.
Now, a brand new group, led by heart specialist John Deanfield from College School London, has additional proven that these advantages happen no matter weight reduction.
Regardless of a participant’s beginning weight or the load they misplaced on semaglutide, their danger of an hostile cardiovascular occasion, similar to a coronary heart assault or stroke, nonetheless fell by roughly the identical quantity between 2018 and 2023. Individuals within the SELECT trial had been 45 years and older, and virtually three-quarters had been male.
Semaglutide is now well-known for its capacity to suppress urge for food and induce fast weight reduction, however the drug was initially designed to deal with diabetes. Whereas scientific trials have proven semaglutide injections can scale back hostile cardiovascular outcomes among those with diabetes, the advantages to sufferers with out insulin points are much less clear.
Some scientists have hypothesized that treating weight problems with semaglutide is what improves cardiovascular well being, and there could also be different advantages.
A current evaluation of the SELECT trial published in Nature Medicine, biomedical researcher Donna Ryan and her colleagues together with Deanfield discovered sustained weight reduction – 10 % on common over 4 years — in folks of all sexes, races, ages, and physique sizes.
“This diploma of weight reduction in such a big and numerous inhabitants means that it could be attainable to influence the general public well being burden of a number of obesity-related diseases,” Ryan, from Pennington Biomedical Analysis Middle within the US, says of the results.
“Whereas our trial targeted on cardiovascular occasions, many different power ailments together with a number of forms of most cancers, osteoarthritis, and nervousness and despair would profit from efficient weight administration.”
However as Deanfield, Ryan and their colleagues level out of their new evaluation, not all of the well being advantages of semaglutide essentially stem from the remedy of weight problems. There could also be an unknown mechanism at play that goes past a discount in physique fats.
Deanfield offered the brand new findings on the European Congress on Weight problems (ECO) earlier in Could, as did Ryan. Collectively the 2 research will little question immediate additional debate.
Earlier research counsel that when semaglutide injections are stopped, sufferers typically regain about two-thirds of the load they misplaced inside a 12 months. The benefits to weight loss in the long term have to be studied additional, as do the advantages to cardiovascular dangers when semaglutide injections are ceased.
Researchers not concerned in both of the 2 new research have additionally cautioned against placing massive swathes of the inhabitants on semaglutide till extra is known about how the drug works.
With future investigation, the surprising results of Ozempic on coronary heart well being might change the best way scientists perceive weight problems and heart problems.
The research led by Ryan has been printed in Nature Medicine. The evaluation led by Deanfield was offered at ECO forward of peer evaluation.