Wegovy and Heart Health: The Proven Cardiovascular Benefits

Although Wegovy is popularly known as a weight loss medication, its active ingredient, semaglutide, has other benefits. Semaglutide was first approved as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, available under the brand name Ozempic. It can help to lower blood sugar levels, and as a further benefit, it was found to help with weight management in diabetics.

More recently, Wegovy has been shown to improve heart health and lower the chance of heart attacks and strokes. For this reason, Wegovy has become the first weight loss medication to be approved as a preventative treatment for obese and overweight individuals who already have heart problems.

Here, we explore the current clinical data and tell you everything you need to know about Wegovy and its benefits for your health beyond just weight loss, including how it can affect your heart health.

Wegovy is a once-weekly weight loss injection that is self-administered just under the surface of the skin of your upper arms, thighs, or stomach. It contains the active ingredient, semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. Semaglutide mimics the GLP-1 hormone to slow digestion, suppress your appetite, and lower your blood sugar levels.

In the UK, Wegovy has been approved for:

Further research shows that semaglutide also has potential anti-inflammatory benefits, which could be beneficial for heart health, type 2 diabetes, and kidney function. It appears that semaglutide could suppress the release of ‘pro-inflammatory biomarkers’ (substances that cause inflammation in the body) and block their effects in certain tissues.

Obesity is strongly linked to heart health, with excess weight contributing to conditions like:

• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• type 2 diabetes
• blocked arteries (atherosclerosis)

Research suggests that a BMI above 25 is strongly linked to a higher chance of cardiovascular death, particularly coronary heart disease or stroke.

Why weight management is key for heart health

Carrying extra weight, despite having healthy blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol levels, can increase the likelihood of having a heart attack by up to 28%.

Even modest weight loss of 5 to 10% of total body weight is associated with significant improvements in heart disease risk factors after 1 year. So, weight loss is key to better cardiovascular health in people who are overweight.

A key Wegovy heart disease study looking at the impact of semaglutide (Wegovy) on heart health was the SELECT trial. It found that a weekly injection of 2.4mg of semaglutide for 33 months reduced the chance of heart attacks, strokes, and heart-related death by 20% in overweight individuals with heart disease but no history of diabetes.

One trial found that Wegovy has a 57% greater risk reduction for strokes, heart attacks, and heart-related deaths compared to Zepbound, which is known as Mounjaro in the UK.

When compared to liraglutide, the active ingredient in Nevolat injections, semaglutide was associated with a 40% lower risk of: strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, and angina.

Wegovy and heart disease prevention

Semaglutide lowers the chance of non- fatal heart attacks by 26% and non-fatal strokes by 39% in people with type 2 diabetes, which is significant because cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes.

Clinical trials also show that Wegovy helps 83.5% of people lose at least 17% of their body weight over 68 weeks on 2.4mg, which could have wider benefits for your health, including your heart and circulatory system.

Weight loss can lead to significant reduction in blood pressure and blood sugar levels, having positive benefits on heart health. One study found that with each 1kg of body weight lost in patients who were overweight or obese, systolic blood pressure reduced by 0.4mmHg and diastolic blood pressure came down by 0.3mmHg.

Losses of 5 to 10% of your body weight can also significantly lower blood fats, total cholesterol, and fasting blood sugar levels.

The health benefits of Wegovy are not just limited to weight loss, diabetes, and heart health. Emerging Wegovy clinical trials are linking semaglutide to improvements in other health areas, including the brain, liver, kidney, sleep, and even cancer, suggesting that it could have even greater effects for a wider range of people.

Kidney health

In people who have type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, Wegovy can lower the chance of:

• kidney failure by 24%
• major cardiovascular events by 18%

A meta-analysis also found that in people with type 2 diabetes GLP-1 medications, including semaglutide, could reduce the chances of:

• kidney-related health events by 18%
• kidney failure by 16%

Brain health

Wegovy could have positive effects on brain health, specifically in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and addiction.

Alzheimer’s disease

Some studies have demonstrated that semaglutide could lower the chance of cognitive decline and dementia, by reducing brain inflammation and protecting against cell damage, which can promote the progression of the disease.

One study found that semaglutide was associated with a 40 to 70% reduced chance of an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis in people with type 2 diabetes compared to other anti-diabetic medications, including other GLP-1 agonists. These results support further research into semaglutide’s potential for preventing or delaying the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Addiction

Because Wegovy helps to curb food cravings, there is promise that it could have a similar effect on addictive behaviours.

For example, weekly semaglutide injections reduced the number of alcoholic drinks per day by 41% and weekly alcohol cravings by 39% in adults with diagnosed alcohol use disorder.

Liver health

Recent research has shown that Wegovy can reduce liver inflammation and scarring caused by conditions, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). 62% of people included in a phase 3 clinical trial had resolved their steatohepatitis without liver scarring getting worse following semaglutide use, compared to 34% given a placebo.

Sleep apnoea

Sleep apnoea symptoms may be improved by Wegovy through its effects on weight loss, which can improve the severity of the condition. A study investigating the effects of semaglutide in obese adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) over 4 months found that it improved their sleep apnoea score compared to those who used diet alone.

Colon cancer

GLP-1 receptor agonists, like semaglutide, could lower the chance of colorectal cancer in people with type 2 diabetes. Compared to people who took insulin to manage their diabetes, those given a GLP-1 receptor agonist had a 44% lower chance of getting colorectal cancer and a 25% lower chance compared to those taking metformin.

Wegovy was approved in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in 2021, but it was not launched for weight loss due to supply chain issues until 2023. It’s now widely available on the NHS via a specialist weight management service and privately from online doctor services, pharmacies, and clinics.

Wegovy is licensed for weight management, type 2 diabetes, and was the first GLP-1 medication approved by the MHRA as a preventative treatment for obese and overweight adults with serious heart problems.

To be eligible for Wegovy for weight loss from Superdrug Online Doctor, you must have a BMI of 30 or more or 27 and above with weight-related health conditions. You can use our BMI calculator if you’re unsure what your BMI is. You can request Wegovy by:

1. Completing a short medical questionnaire, which checks for any health conditions and current medications that could interact with Wegovy.
2. You’ll also be asked to send some photos, which are completely confidential and used by our doctors to check that Wegovy is a safe option for you. We need to do this to prescribe weight loss medication online.
3. Once complete, your questionnaire and photos are sent to a registered doctor who can determine whether Wegovy is suitable for you or whether another medication may be better.
4. After approval, you can collect your medication from a convenient Superdrug Pharmacy or have it delivered directly to you.

Wegovy is already helping lots of people safely lose weight, improve their quality of life, and achieve better health outcomes. Now, even more research is coming to light about how Wegovy can benefit wider areas of your health, including your heart.

Does Wegovy prevent heart attacks?

Yes, Wegovy clinical trial results suggest that its active ingredient can lower the chance of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular events by 20%.

How does Wegovy compare to statins or other heart drugs?

Unlike statins and other heart drugs, Wegovy is not a cholesterol-lowering medication, but it does have heart benefits, including lowering cardiovascular events by 20%. Statins, on the other hand, can reduce the chance of major cardiovascular events by 16% in women and 22% in men. However, statins are the first-line treatment for high cholesterol, whereas Wegovy can have heart-protective benefits in people who are overweight or obese and have heart disease.

Will a doctor prescribe Wegovy for heart health alone?

No, a doctor will not prescribe Wegovy for heart health alone, as it has been approved for use in people who are overweight or obese who already have heart disease. Wegovy is prescribed as part of a wider weight management programme.

Does Wegovy protect the heart even if I don’t lose weight?

Yes, the SELECT trial found that the protective benefits of Wegovy against heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure were similar in people who lost more than 5% of their starting weight and those who lost less than 5%.

Does Wegovy help with inflammation?

Yes, Wegovy could help with inflammation both through its effects on weight and inflammatory markers. Research shows that, in people with type 2 diabetes, it can reduce inflammatory markers like cytokines and C-reactive protein, substances that cause inflammation in the body.

Does Wegovy help with fatty liver?

Yes, studies indicate Wegovy can help with a severe form of fatty liver disease called MASH by helping to resolve liver inflammation and scarring.

Does Wegovy lower blood pressure?

Yes, Wegovy has been found to have positive effects on blood pressure. A meta-analysis found that semaglutide lowered blood pressure by 4.83mmHg in obese non-diabetic individuals.