Study confirms cardiovascular benefits of semaglutide drug beyond weight loss

This new analysis looked closely at how patients’ weight and waist size changed during the trial and how those changes related to cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes.

Researchers found that while semaglutide helped people lose weight and reduce waist size, the amount of weight lost early on did not predict who would have fewer heart problems. However, shrinking waist size — a sign of less belly fat — was linked to better heart outcomes and accounted for about one-third of semaglutide’s overall benefit.

Senior endocrinologist Dr Shreerang Godbole from Jehangir Hospital, Pune, explains, “We’ve moved past the outdated ‘eat less, move more’ mantra as the only solution. We now understand that for many women, obesity is a complex disease. Modern treatments like injectable semaglutide help patients regain control over their appetite and achieve sustainable weight loss.”

Dr Godbole adds that medication like semaglutide is a science-backed treatment that works with your body’s own signals. “Your brain gets messages from different parts of your body, including powerful appetite hormones like GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), which help regulate how much food you eat. Semaglutide works very similarly to your natural GLP-1. It helps reduce your appetite, so you naturally eat fewer calories. Enhancing the signals of fullness sent to your brain helps you feel satisfied with smaller portions. When used along with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, semaglutide is a powerful tool that helps people lose weight and, just as importantly, keep it off for the long term,” he adds.

“The clinical evidence is compelling. For instance, the landmark SELECT trial showed that semaglutide significantly reduced the risk of heart attack and stroke by 20 per cent in people with overweight or obesity and pre-existing heart disease. By addressing weight, we are proactively protecting the heart for the long term,” Dr Godbole adds.

Meanwhile, authors of the study say that these findings indicate that semaglutide can offer important heart benefits that go beyond weight loss, opening the door to new ways of treating and preventing serious heart problems in people with obesity and cardiovascular disease.