A new study led by scientists from University College London has found that the popular anti-obesity drug semaglutide may protect the heart even if people do not lose much weight while taking it.
The discovery could change how doctors think about this medicine, which is widely used for both weight loss and diabetes treatment.
Semaglutide is the active ingredient in well-known medications like Wegovy and Ozempic. It belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists. These drugs copy the effects of a natural hormone in the body that helps control blood sugar and appetite.
Semaglutide was first developed for people with type 2 diabetes but later became popular for weight loss because it helps people eat less and lose body fat.
In this new research, published in The Lancet, scientists looked at data from more than 17,000 adults aged 45 and older who were overweight and already had heart disease.
Half of the participants received a weekly semaglutide injection, while the other half received a placebo. The study lasted several years and was part of the large international SELECT trial.
Earlier results from this trial had already shown that people taking semaglutide were 20% less likely to have major heart problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, compared to those who took the placebo.
The new analysis went a step further by asking whether the heart benefits of the drug were linked to how much weight people lost.
The results were surprising. The researchers found that the reduction in heart attacks and strokes was almost the same, no matter how much weight people lost. Even people who lost very little weight still had similar heart benefits.
In fact, those with only slightly high body weight, with an average body mass index (BMI) of 27, saw similar protection as those with much higher BMIs.
The team did find one interesting link: people whose waistlines shrank the most tended to have slightly better heart outcomes. However, this only explained about one-third of the total heart protection. That means most of the drug’s benefits for heart health cannot be explained simply by losing fat or weight.
Professor John Deanfield, who led the study, said that the findings change how we think about this medicine. “We used to think semaglutide’s heart benefits came from weight loss alone,” he said, “but now it looks like the drug itself has direct effects on the heart and blood vessels.”
Scientists believe there may be several reasons for this. GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide might improve blood vessel health, lower inflammation, and help control blood pressure and cholesterol. These changes can protect the heart even without large changes in body weight.
The research also showed that the benefits were similar for men and women and for people across different weight ranges. However, the researchers noted that most participants were white and male, and they encouraged future studies to include more diverse groups to understand whether the results apply to everyone.
This discovery could have major effects on how doctors use semaglutide. It suggests that people don’t need to be very overweight or lose large amounts of weight to gain heart benefits from the drug.
It may also mean that doctors could prescribe semaglutide not only for weight loss but also as a heart-protective treatment for people with cardiovascular disease.
However, experts also caution that the drug can have side effects, including nausea and digestive issues, and that more studies are needed to understand long-term safety. Still, the findings offer hope to millions of people at risk of heart disease.
In conclusion, this research shows that semaglutide’s power goes far beyond helping people lose weight. It seems to act directly on the heart and blood vessels, offering protection that may change the way doctors treat both obesity and heart disease.
As clinical trials continue, scientists are hopeful that this class of drugs could open new doors in preventing and managing heart conditions.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about root cause of heart rhythm disorders and Warning signal from the kidneys can predict future heart failure risk.
For more about heart health, please read studies about a surprising link between alcohol drinking and heart health and both blood pressure numbers can predict heart disease risk.
The study is published in The Lancet.
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