A companion study from researchers at University College London reported that GLP-1 drugs, which are used to treat type 2 diabetes as well as weight loss, also seemed to benefit the cardiovascular system regardless of how much weight people lost or what their starting weight was.

While this study, which has not been published yet in a peer-reviewed journal, did not involve people with diabetes, “it is likely that semaglutide would produce similar outcomes among individuals with diabetes,” said Routhenstein. “This is because semaglutide primarily functions by mimicking the actions of the body’s natural incretin hormone, GLP-1, to slow down the absorption of food, allowing for more satiety and controlled blood sugar metabolism.”

Positive outcomes were seen among all genders, races, ages, regions, and body sizes when compared to placebo effects, researchers said.

“Our long-term analysis of semaglutide establishes that clinically relevant weight loss can be sustained for up to four years in a geographically and racially diverse population of adults with overweight and obesity but not diabetes,” said Ryan in a press statement. “This degree of weight loss in such a large and diverse population suggests that it may be possible to impact the public health burden of multiple obesity-related illnesses. While our trial focused on cardiovascular events, many other chronic diseases including several types of cancer, osteoarthritis, and anxiety and depression would benefit from effective weight management.”

John Deanfield, a professor of cardiology at University College London who led the companion study, added that the findings suggest that semaglutide “has other actions which lower cardiovascular risk beyond reducing unhealthy body fat.”

“These alternative mechanisms may include positive impacts on blood sugar, blood pressure, or inflammation, as well as direct effects on the heart muscle and blood vessels, or a combination of one or more of these,” he said.

Side effects of semaglutide treatment can include gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and diarrhea as well as a higher risk of developing gallbladder stones. However, the researchers said that negative symptoms were actually lower among the semaglutide recipients than in the placebo group.

The findings were presented at the May 2024 European Congress on Obesity.

The data were sourced from the ongoing Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes (SELECT) research trial, launched in 2018. In 2023, studies based on SELECT trial data on a similar population found that taking semaglutide for more than three years reduced risk of heart attack, stroke, and death from cardiovascular disease by 20%.

Adamrovich said more research to show the impact of GLP-1 treatment beyond four years would be beneficial “to see if the weight loss and cardiovascular benefits were sustained long term.”

“It would also be helpful to conduct some follow-up studies focusing on certain heart-healthy diets and moderate-intensity exercise in conjunction with semaglutide or tirzepatide use,” he said.

Read full article here.