Cardiovascular Benefits of GLP-1 Medications
By: Taylor Kantor, MD Data and Resources from the New England Journal of Medicine, Vilsboll et al.
Summary: GLP-1 medications are widely known for recent results showing their effectiveness for weight loss therapies. Patients on certain GLP-1 medications lose an average of 15% of total body weight. But perhaps more importantly, recent studies have shown an improvement in longevity, cardiovascular health, kidney health, metabolic syndrome, and even improved survival for patients on GLP-1 therapy compared to placebo. These studies showed a 26% risk reduction in cardiovascular events in a group of over 3,000 patients studied in a randomized control trial.
Cardiovascular Benefits of GLP-1 Medications:
GLP-1 medications have quickly become the new gold standard for weight loss therapies with the most pronounced weight loss results while also having a better safety profile than other weight loss medications. Perhaps even more important are the results that have been shown on GLP-1 medications and the impact they have on improving longevity and cardiovascular health in patients.
Early studies showed the benefits of GLP-1 medications in the management of type 2 diabetes, the first FDA approval for this class of medications. More recently, Semaglutide received FDA approval for non-diabetic obesity or weight loss management with weight loss results far exceeding other medications commonly used for this purpose. Now, studies have been released showing the cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels) and renal (kidney) benefits these medications have in line with the weight loss and reduction in metabolic syndrome patients experience while on therapy.
Overall, GLP-1 medications have been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, adverse effects of type 2 diabetes, and even death in patients receiving therapy compared to placebo. Specifically, with semaglutide, these risks were reduced by 26% in patients in a randomized control trial with improvements in cardiovascular outcomes and even survival.
Resources: Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes
