A study found that a weight-loss drug reduces the risk of heart attacks regardless of kilograms lost | Medical research
The largest study of its kind has found that the weight-loss drug semaglutide reduces the risk of heart attack or stroke regardless of how many pounds a person loses.
However, a smaller waist size — a sign of less belly fat — was linked to better heart outcomes, according to the research.
results, Published in The LancetResearch suggests that the drugs can have broader benefits for patients beyond weight loss, so they should not be limited to the most obese patients.
Researchers set out to study the additional benefits of semaglutide, the main ingredient of the weight-loss drug Wegovy.
The selected trial, led by University College London (UCL), looked at whether or not people taking the drug experienced a “major adverse cardiac event” – including deaths from heart disease, heart attacks or strokes.
They examined data on 17,604 people aged 45 or older who were overweight or obese.
Half of the people in the study – which was conducted in 41 countries – were given weekly injections of semaglutide. The other half was given a placebo, known as a placebo.
Previous analysis of the data found that semaglutide reduced the risk of major adverse cardiac events by 20%. Researchers have now found that the benefit was clear regardless of how much weight people lost while taking the drug.
The academics said the findings suggest there are multiple ways the drug could benefit the heart, rather than a protective effect achieved solely through weight loss alone.
They found that even slightly overweight people with a BMI of 27 – the average BMI score for UK adults – received similar benefits to those with the highest BMI scores.
The benefits were also largely independent of how much weight people lost in the first four months of treatment.
However, researchers noted a difference between shrinking waist circumference, which is measured by waist circumference, and heart benefits.
Writing for The Lancet“An estimated 33% of the observed benefits on major adverse cardiovascular events were mediated through a reduction in waist circumference,” they said.
Lead author, Professor John Denfield, from University College London’s Institute of Cardiovascular Science, said: ‘Belly fat is more risky for our cardiovascular health than overall weight, so it is not surprising to see a link between lower waist size and cardiovascular benefits.’
“However, this still leaves two-thirds of semaglutide’s heart benefits unexplained. These findings reframe what we think this drug does.”
“It is touted as a weight-loss drug, but its benefits for the heart are not directly related to the amount of weight lost — in fact, it is a drug that directly affects heart disease and other diseases of aging.”
He added: “This work has implications for how semaglutide is used in clinical practice.
“You don’t have to lose a lot of weight and you don’t need to have a high BMI to get cardiovascular benefits. If your goal is to reduce cardiovascular disease, restricting its use to only a limited time and to those with the highest BMI doesn’t make sense.”
“At the same time, the benefits must be weighed against potential side effects. Investigations into side effects become especially important given the wide range of people this and other drugs can help.”