Ozempic's Main Ingredient Linked To Improved Heart Health (2024)

While the 2023 SELECT study stands out for its illustration of semaglutide’s cardiovascular benefit in individuals without diabetes, previous research indicates that semaglutide also reduces cardiovascular risks in people with diabetes. In fact, in 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Ozempic injections to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in adults with type 2 diabetes and known heart disease.

Widening the lens of research after 2020, the SELECT study enrolled 17,604 adults with pre-existing cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity—but not diabetes.

Participants who took semaglutide for more than three years had a 20% lower risk of heart attack, stroke or death due to cardiovascular disease, regardless of their starting weight or the amount of weight that they had lost, according to the study. The finding suggests that those with mild obesity or who aren’t losing weight may still experience cardiovascular benefits.

“Our findings show that the magnitude of this treatment effect with semaglutide is independent of the amount of weight lost, suggesting that the drug has other actions which lower cardiovascular risk beyond reducing unhealthy body fat,” ​​says John Deanfield, a University College London professor and the lead author on the study, in a press release.

Semaglutide may help improve cardiovascular health because of its impact on weight. The SELECT results indicate a significant reduction in participants’ waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio and weight—all of which can potentially improve cardiovascular health, says Sam Setareh, M.D., a cardiologist at Beverly Hills Cardiovascular and a Forbes Health Advisory Board member.

“WC not only forecasts mortality but also shows a positive correlation with cardiovascular risk, primarily due to visceral adipose tissue (VAT) of the abdomen,” says Dr. Setareh. VAT is a primary area where fat accumulates in the abdomen, impacting an individual’s WC.

“Both the WC-to-height ratio and the waist-to-hip ratio have been recognized as predictors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality,” continues Dr. Setareh, who adds that obesity is also associated with elevated blood pressure, dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia.

“Given the increasing prevalence of obesity and the prominence of cardiovascular disease as a global cause of mortality, initiating GLP-1 agonists [such as Ozempic] early in individuals with obesity or overweight, particularly those presenting with at least one comorbidity, could be advantageous,” explains Dr. Setareh.

Despite its potential benefits, the cost of semaglutide weight loss drugs like Ozempic acts as a barrier to entry for many individuals, with a 28-day supply costing upwards of $1,000.

Commercial insurance coverage for semaglutide products vary by state, plan and provider, says Dr. Setareh. Most insurance companies only cover these medications as a type 2 diabetes treatment, since that was a primary use case approved by the FDA.

In March, thanks to the momentum from SELECT’s study, the FDA approved a new indication for Wegovy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke in adults with cardiovascular disease and either obesity or overweight.