DEAR PEOPLE’S PHARMACY: My very experienced cardiologist noted recently that for many patients, including me, losing weight improves many heart health issues. It really doesn’t matter how the weight loss happens, as long as it isn’t the result of illness.
If taking a GLP-1 drug like semaglutide leads to weight loss, might not the loss itself improve heart health? I’m thinking that would show up as an improvement for some users even if it’s an indirect effect. What do you think?
A. Results of the SELECT study were published more than a year ago (New England Journal of Medicine, Nov. 11, 2023). This was a placebo-controlled study of more than 17,000 people at high risk for heart problems. Those who used semaglutide for just over three years had significantly lower chances of stroke, heart attack or death from cardiovascular causes.
A recent review and meta-analysis of semaglutide studies found that this drug can significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization from heart failure and deaths from cardiovascular causes (International Journal of Obesity, January 2025). As your cardiologist suggests, losing weight is helpful for heart health.
This reader reports that a similar medication, Zepbound (tirzepatide), has been “… a miracle drug. I’m off my blood pressure medicine, I sleep better than I have in years, I’ve no desire for alcohol, and I’ve lost 20 pounds in 2.5 months.” Before people take one of these medicines, they should inform themselves about potential side effects as well as benefits. A reduced desire for alcohol is a benefit, whereas vision loss from NAION (Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy) is a rare but disconcerting adverse reaction.
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