Semaglutide works fast, protecting the heart before weight loss kicks in
The cardiovascular benefits associated with taking semaglutide can kick in before patients even start to lose weight, according to new data presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, Spain.
Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist sold by Novo Nordisk under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic. It has been associated with a long list of health benefits, including several associated with improvements in cardiovascular symptoms in patients with and without diabetes.
This specific analysis focused on data from more than 17,000 adults 45 years old or older from 41 different countries. All patients were either obese or overweight and had a history of heart disease. The group was randomized to either receive semaglutide injections each week or a placebo.
Overall, semaglutide was associated with a 38% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) risk within three months, and a 41% reduction in MACE risk within six months. Many patients have not yet started losing weight after six months, the group noted, yet its benefits were already being felt.
“These results highlight semaglutide’s early action on decreasing major cardiovascular events, with significant benefits already evident by the first six months, and for some, even earlier, even before any major weight loss and before most patients would have been titrated to their full target dose of 2.4 mg,” lead author Jorge Plutzky, MD, director of preventive cardiology with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said in a statement.
Plutzky noted that how, exactly, semaglutide is making such a quick impact is still something research teams need to investigate further.
“More research is needed to understand the mechanisms through which semaglutide produces these early clinical benefits, but they may include the drug’s positive effects on reducing inflammation, blood sugar, blood pressure, direct effects on the heart and blood vessels, early dietary changes or an interaction among these or other responses,” he said.
Plutzky’s team did emphasize that this study was built to study high-risk heart patients—they were not evaluating the drug’s impact when it comes to reducing the risk of first-time cardiovascular events in patients with no previous heart issues.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.