Health

Weight loss drug Wegovy could benefit hearts of people with type 2 diabetes

By Mallika Marshall, MD

November 13, 2023 / 5:33 PM EST / CBS Boston

BOSTON - A study in the New England Journal of Medicine has found a significant heart benefit for people taking a popular weight loss drug.

Wegovy has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease in patients with type 2 diabetes, but what about in patients without diabetes?

In a clinical trial involving more than 17,000 patients, researchers found that overweight or obese adults with pre-existing heart disease, but not diabetes, who took weekly injections of Wegovy experienced a 20% reduction in heart attack and stroke risk compared to those on a placebo injection.

It's not clear whether weight loss alone is responsible for the cardiovascular benefits or whether the drug itself contributes in some way.

Wegovy

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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