Wegovy Lowers the risk for Heart attack and Stroke.

Posted: Aug 08 in Medical Weight Loss News, Obesity Medicine, semaglutide, Uncategorized by Dr. Lazarus

For the first time in the history of obesity medicine, a drug has been shown to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke by 20%.

For decades, doctors have helped patients reduce their cardiovascular risk by prescribing medications for hypertension and high cholesterol. We now know that treating obesity with medication is similarly compelling.

Semaglutide Effects on Heart Disease and Stroke in Patients With Overweight or Obesity (SELECT)

In their SELECT trial, Novo Nordisk compared treatment of obesity with Wegovy vs. Placebo in over 17,000 adults with heart disease and obesity, but without diabetes. The study showed that treatment with Wegovy reduced heart attack and stroke risk by 20%. A similar trial had been done with Ozempic, which contains the same active ingredient (semaglutide), for people with type 2 diabetes and showed a risk reduction of 26%, but this is the first study of its type looking specifically at obesity and heart disease.

Note that according to the FDA, semaglutide in Ozempic and Wegovy is NOT the same thing being peddled by weight loss spas as “compounded” or “generic” semaglutide. Read more here.

I believe this is the first of many studies that will show that we need to treat obesity seriously and that if we do, we can make a real difference in a person’s lifespan. This study will improve the perception that obesity is worth treating, much like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. And, I am hopeful it will push the needle in the right direction to improve insurance coverage.

This study does NOT mean that we shouldn’t address ALL cardiovascular risk factors. We need to eat healthy, get physical activity (an hour daily or more), treat hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes (if present), AND we need to treat obesity medically, the same as the other cardiovascular risk factors.