A new study has suggested that Wegovy and Ozempic could have significant benefits, including the potential to slow down ageing. Researchers have found that semaglutide, available as Wegovy and Ozempic, reduced the risk of death in individuals who were obese or overweight and had cardiovascular disease without diabetes. Semaglutide, typically used to treat type 2 diabetes, has gained popularity as an anti-obesity medication for long-term weight management.
Participants who took semaglutide in the study had a lower mortality rate from all causes, including cardiovascular causes and Covid-19. The drug also demonstrated improvements in heart failure symptoms. Professor Harlan M Krumholz from the Yale School of Medicine commented on the findings, stating that semaglutide’s benefits extend further than anticipated and could revolutionise cardiovascular care, potentially leading to enhanced cardiovascular health.
The study, presented at the European Society of Cardiology Conference 2024 in London, involved 17,604 participants aged 45 or older who were overweight or obese with established cardiovascular disease but not diabetes. They were administered 2.4 mg of semaglutide or a placebo over a tracking period exceeding three years. The study revealed a significant reduction in deaths among those taking semaglutide, with lower mortality rates from various causes compared to the placebo group.
Furthermore, individuals using semaglutide were found to be less likely to die from Covid-19, despite being equally susceptible to contracting the virus. The drug also demonstrated the potential to reduce the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes across genders. Dr Benjamin Scirica, lead author of one study, highlighted the surprising reduction in non-cardiovascular deaths, particularly due to infections, emphasising the role of potent therapies like semaglutide in modifying mortality risks associated with overweight and obesity.
Dr Jeremy Samuel Faust, an emergency medicine physician, commended the study’s adaptation to investigate Covid-19 outcomes, likening the weight-loss drug’s impact on reducing mortality rates to that of a vaccine against indirect pathogen effects. Overall, the research indicates that improving cardiometabolic health with drugs like semaglutide could have broader health benefits, potentially slowing down the ageing process.