- Semaglutide, the compound on which the weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wigovy are based, significantly reduced the number of cardiac events in people without diabetes in a new large randomized controlled trial.
- All participants in the study had cardiovascular disease, a history of heart attack, stroke, or symptomatic peripheral artery disease, and a body mass index of 27 or higher.
- Although the weight loss associated with semaglutide likely contributed to the reduction in cardiac events, the study authors observed a reduction in the number of cardiac events even before the greatest weight loss occurred.Edited
Semaglutide is the chemical name for the blood sugar management drugs Ozempic, Wigovy, and Libersus developed for diabetics. Ozempic and Wegovy are also approved as weight loss drugs in the US
For people who are overweight or obese and have pre-existing cardiovascular disease (CVD), taking semaglutide for three years reduces heart attacks, strokes and deaths by 20% compared to people taking a placebo, according to a new study. It is said that he did.
This randomized controlled study involved more than 17,000 people with overweight or obesity and pre-existing cardiovascular disease. None had type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Ultimately he had 15,425 people complete the exam.
Participants in this study lost an average of 9.4% of their body weight with semaglutide.
Weight loss with semaglutide lasts as long as you continue taking the drug. It is usually taken for the rest of your life.
Such weight loss may reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but this study suggests there’s more going on than that.
This research New England Medical Journal.
Dr. A. Michael Linkoff explained that semaglutide is a GLP-1 agonist and “is a gut-derived hormone.”
“GLP-1 agonists are released into the body. [gastrointestinal] ,” said Dr. Jane Morgan, a cardiologist and clinical director of the coronavirus task force at Piedmont Healthcare Corporation in Atlanta, Georgia. He is involved in research.
By stimulating receptors in the pancreas, semaglutide can stimulate insulin production, suppress glucagon, and slow gastric emptying. All of these effects have the effect of reducing appetite and food intake.
The study’s authors suspect it wasn’t just weight loss that improved the participants’ heart health.
“Although the greatest weight loss did not occur until 65 weeks after starting the drug, we did see a difference in weight loss. [number of cardiovascular] The incidence occurs very early, within a few months of starting the drug. ” Dr. Linkoff said..
Dr. Linkoff says GLP-1 agonists “stimulate the same receptors that are present in different parts of the body. They’re also present in the gut, and they’re also present in the brain, heart, blood vessels, and pancreas.”
Dr. Nicole Weinberg, a cardiologist who was also not involved in the study, suggested that semaglutide’s benefits for CVD patients may be related to lowering blood sugar levels, which causes inflammation throughout the body.
“The more chronic inflammation you have in your body, the higher your risk for a variety of conditions,” says Dr. Weinberg.
“One of the things we’re most concerned about in cardiology is deposits, plaque (cholesterol), or inflammation in the body. And a lot of that can be caused by inflammation caused by blood sugar levels. ” continued Dr. Weinberg.
Additionally, spikes in blood sugar levels may not be limited to people with diabetes.
“We’re starting to see that people have spikes in blood sugar levels, and that elevated blood sugar levels alone are dangerous for cardiovascular health,” Dr. Weinberg added.
Dr. Weinberg said he favors semaglutide for certain patients.
“Perhaps their cholesterol and blood pressure are well controlled, but despite what is considered conventional medical treatment, levels of atherosclerosis continue to build up. Still confirmed.”
The association between obesity and health problems is often attributed to high blood pressure, diabetes, and other factors. However, Dr. Linkoff said obesity “is associated with an excess risk of heart disease, and that risk is not fully explained or controlled by the risks associated with high body weight.”
“Independently, obesity is associated with increased risk,” Dr. Linkoff said, noting that semaglutide is the first treatment that can directly reduce that risk.
“We are now in the same space with hypertension, diabetes, smoking and cholesterol as modifiable risk factors. [Obesity] “They come next as another modifiable risk factor for controlling heart disease,” he said.
One of the practical issues with semaglutide is its cost and availability.
“This is a lifelong maintenance therapy for the prevention and reduction of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, which costs nearly $16,000 per year for one drug,” Dr. Morgan said, noting that the drug costs $1,300 per month. This is especially a problem if the cost is high.
Dr. Weinberg noted the limitations of U.S. insurance coverage for semaglutide.
“It’s not accessible to everyone yet. I think as more research and more data comes out, it will become easier and easier for people to get this drug,” she said.
Dr. Morgan would have liked to have seen a more representative sample of people participating in the trial.
“Women were only included in 28% of the trial participants, but they represent over 51% of the world’s population. Additionally, menopausal women, who are at highest risk for heart disease, were not even identified in this trial. ” she said.
“black [people] “The situation is even worse, with just under 4% of trial participants making up almost 18% of the world’s population,” she said. Eighty-five percent of the study participants were white, although whites make up only 9% of the world’s population.
Dr. Morgan said that while more research is needed and accessibility issues need to be addressed, the drug “could be a game-changer for diabetes management, obesity management and cardiovascular health, especially as we age.” ” he said.
“Heart disease is [number] Even in the midst of COVID-19, the leading cause of death in the United States, heart disease was not dethroned,” she noted.
“As obesity and diabetes become increasingly prevalent in younger populations, cardiac endpoints are critical information that will continue to increase these compounds into prime time and beyond,” she noted.
