Image source, Getty Images
- Author, Thomas Mackintosh
- Role, BBC News
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An injection designed to tackle obesity could reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people regardless of the amount of weight they lose while on the drug, according to a new study.
Researchers looked at the effects of semaglutide – which is a prescription drug that supresses appetite and is sold under the brand names Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus.
They said the anti-obesity jabs could also benefit the cardiovascular health of millions of adults.
Prof John Deanfield, who led the team of researchers, said the generic drug could have a positive impact on blood sugar, blood pressure or inflammation, as well as direct effects on the heart muscle and vessels.
The five-year University College London (UCL) study used data from the Select trial, run by semaglutide manufacturer Novo Nordisk, to examine 17,604 adults over the age of 45 from 41 countries.
Speaking ahead of presenting the study at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice, Prof Deanfield said the findings had “important clinical implications”.
He said it was an important discovery – likening it to when statins were introduced in the 1990s.
“We finally figured out that there was a drug class that would change the biology of this disease to benefit a lot of people. That was a major breakthrough and it’s transformed cardiology practice.
“We now have this class of drugs which could equally transform many chronic diseases of ageing.”
Prof Deanfield’s analysis of Select examined the amount of time before patients suffered major cardiovascular events – such as heart attack or stroke – or whether they developed heart failure.
After 20 weeks of being on semaglutide, 62% of patients had lost more than 5% of their bodyweight compared with 10% in a placebo group.
However, the risk reduction of heart attacks, stroke or heart failure was similar in patients who lost more than 5% of their bodyweight and in those who lost less than 5%, or gained weight.
Prof Deanfield said: “Around half of the patients that I see in my cardiovascular practice have levels of weight equivalent to those in the Select trial and are likely to derive benefit from taking semaglutide on top of their usual level of guideline-directed care.”
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Prof Deanfield said the drug has a “potentially important place” in the treatment for obesity.
“There are many people living overweight or with obesity, who have struggled to improve their weight, and these drugs, for that reason alone, produce an important clinical opportunity,” he said.
“But these are drugs that will also improve their background medical problems. That really is quite exciting”.
In August, researchers working on the Select trial found semaglutide reduced the risk of a heart attack or stroke in obese people with cardiovascular disease by a fifth.
Prof Deanfield’s study is one of two studies based on the Select trial which are being presented at the ECO in Italy.
The second, led by Prof Donna Ryan, of Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in New Orleans, looked at the long-term effect of semaglutide on weight.
Wegovy has the same ingredient as Ozempic – a diabetes medicine said to be Hollywood’s “skinny jab” of choice.
However, experts have previously warned it is not a quick fix or a replacement for eating well and exercising, and should only be offered under medical supervision.
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
