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The weight loss jab Wegovy may help to reduce a person's risk of heart attack or stroke, regardless of how much weight they lose, new research suggests. The findings suggest the drug could have benefits beyond weight loss and should not only be given to severely obese patients. However, the research found that losing belly fat appeared to be particularly beneficial for heart health, noting a link between shrinking waistlines and heart benefits. The study's authors said that an "estimated 33 per cent of the observed benefit on major adverse cardiovascular events was mediated through waist circumference reduction". Lead author Professor John Deanfield, at UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science, said: "Abdominal fat is more dangerous for our cardiovascular health than overall weight and therefore it is not surprising to see a link between reduction in waist size and cardiovascular benefit. However, this still leaves two thirds of the heart benefits of semaglutide unexplained. "These findings reframe what we think this medication is doing. It is labelled as a weight loss jab but its benefits for the heart are not directly related to the amount of weight lost. In fact it is a drug that directly affects heart disease and other diseases of ageing." The research, led by an expert from University College London (UCL), set out to look at whether or not people taking Wegovy went on to suffer a "major adverse cardiac event" - including heart disease deaths, heart attacks, or strokes. It looked at data from more than 17,000 people over the age of 45 who were either overweight or obese. Half were given weekly injections of semaglutide – the main ingredient of Wegovy and also type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and the other half were given a dummy drug, known as a placebo. Previous analysis of the data found that semaglutide reduced the risk of major adverse cardiac events by 20 per cent. Now, researchers have confirmed these benefits were seen regardless of how much weight people lost while taking the drug and regardless of participants' weight at the start of the trial. Prof Deanfield added: "This work has implications for how semaglutide is used in clinical practice. You don't have to lose a lot of weight and you don't need a high BMI to gain cardiovascular benefit. If your aim is to reduce cardiovascular disease, restricting its use to a limited time only and for those with the highest BMIs doesn't make sense. "At the same time, the benefits need to be weighed against potential side effects. Investigations of side effects become especially important given the broad range of people this medicine and others like it could help." The NHS in England is rolling out weight loss jabs to 240,000 people with the highest need over the next three years. The researchers say these findings are likely to apply to other weight loss drugs that target same GLP-1 hormone, such as tirzepatide or Mounjaro . Commenting on the study, Tim Chico, professor of cardiovascular medicine and honorary consultant cardiologist from the University of Sheffield, said: "The implications of this and other similar studies are profound. "The average man or woman in the UK has a BMI over 27, so most people with heart disease are likely to benefit from adding semaglutide to their existing drugs, which already usually include aspirin, statins, blood pressure lowering drugs, and other blood thinners. "Evidence from this and other studies suggests we should consider giving these drugs to the very large number of people likely to get a meaningful benefit." The study was published in the Lancet journal and funded by Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy.
