Semaglutide can reduce cardiac event risk regardless of a patient’s starting body fat or weight loss during treatment, according to a study published Oct. 22 in The Lancet. These findings may point to heart benefits from semaglutide use that extend beyond obesity management.
Recent studies found that GLP-1 use was associated with a reduced risk of heart failure, heart attack and cardiovascular death, in addition to saving thousands of dollars in healthcare costs among heart failure patients.
Researchers analyzed results of Novo Nordisk’s SELECT trial to identify any link between baseline body fat, semaglutide treatment-induced weight loss and major adverse cardiovascular events.
Here are five notes on the findings:
- Of the 17,604 patients enrolled in the trial across 804 sites in 41 countries, half received once-weekly semaglutide and half received a placebo.
- For the study, major adverse cardiovascular events were defined as cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction and non-fatal stroke.
- Among those taking semaglutide, researchers found an average 4% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular event risk for every 5 kg loss of body weight and every 5 cm loss of waist circumference.
- Among the placebo group, lower baseline waist circumference was associated with a lower major adverse cardiovascular event risk.
“Paradoxically,” weight loss among the placebo group was associated with an increased major adverse cardiovascular event risk, the study authors wrote. - About 33% of the observed benefit on major adverse cardiovascular event risk associated with waist circumference, with greater waist circumference reduction at weeks 20 and 104 of the trial associated with lower major adverse cardiovascular event risk.
“The cardioprotective effects of semaglutide were independent of baseline adiposity and weight loss and had only a small association with waist circumference, suggesting some mechanisms for benefit beyond adiposity reduction,” the study authors wrote.
Read the full study here.
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