Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, has significant heart health benefits, reducing the risk of stroke or cardiac arrest even without weight loss.
The SELECT trial, involving about 17,600 overweight or obese adults with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, revealed that weekly injections of semaglutide for over three years reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events by nearly 20 percent. This reduction occurred regardless of the participants’ weight loss, indicating that semaglutide’s cardiovascular benefits might stem from mechanisms beyond weight reduction.
These findings suggest potential broader applications of semaglutide in treating obesity-related illnesses and call for further research into its long-term effects and underlying mechanisms.