DR Zoe gives her advice to a reader who is asking about Wegovy and weight loss jabs.
This week a leading doctor said that people should be put on weight loss injections to protect their hearts.
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A trial found taking semaglutide reduced the chances of early death, heart attack or stroke by 20 per cent for overweight people with heart trouble.
Q: I SAW that Wegovy could be the “biggest breakthrough” in treating heart disease since statins?
Should I be on a weight-loss jab instead?
A: Certainly not “instead” of, but there may come a time when people who are at high risk of having a heart attack or stroke would be advised to also take semaglutide, which is in the weight loss injection Wegovy.
The news you saw came about because of research which reported that many people who take the drug can have significant cardiovascular benefits, even if they only had mild obesity or lost modest amounts of weight.
This suggests that semaglutide not only helps patients lose unhealthy body fat but also has other actions that lower cardiovascular risk.
While any new developments are welcomed it’s important to also weigh up the potential risks, which aren’t insignificant.
This same research showed that people taking the drug, rather than a placebo, were more likely to stop due to side-effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, and were more likely to develop gallbladder stones.
So what does this mean for patients?
Well for now, not much.
The researchers say there isn’t yet sufficient evidence that semaglutide prevents heart attacks and strokes, but this study will pave the way for more research in this area.
For some the benefits may outweigh the risks, and one day this may well be an available treatment, alongside – not instead of – statins.