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Semaglutide drugs, such as Ozempic, can help you lose weight and improve your heart health
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist found in drugs such as Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy, offers significant benefits for people with obesity and other weight management issues, according to two new studies.
One study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, included 17,000 adults without diabetes who were classified as overweight or obese.
The study found that taking semaglutide-based drugs resulted in an average 10% reduction in body weight and a reduction in waist circumference of more than 7 centimetres (2.7 inches) over a four-year period.
“Weight loss strategies have been transformed by the introduction of GLP-1… compared to previous weight loss approaches,” Dr. Luke Twelves, medical director of research company Lindus Health, who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today. “This study adds to our understanding of the potential roles of GLP-1 and strengthens the case for its inclusion earlier in treatment.”
The study, led by Dr. Donna Ryan of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, also found that more than half of participants dropped their body mass index (BMI) category by at least one category after two years of taking semaglutide (compared to 16% in the placebo group), and 12% achieved a healthy BMI (compared to 1% in the placebo group).
"Such sustained weight loss is rare in clinical trials of other weight loss methods," Michelle Rautenstein, a preventive cardiology dietitian at EntirelyNourished.com who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today.
She added that "waist circumference was measured because it specifically targets abdominal weight, which is closely linked to inflammation and heart disease risk."
Antoni Adamrowicz, chief medical officer and co-founder of the weight-loss program Tb2.health, who was not involved in the study, said the research showed that GLP-1 drugs were significantly more effective than other popular weight-loss drugs. Other weight-loss drugs, such as phentermine or naltrexone/bupropion, are associated with an average weight loss of 3% to 7%.
GLP-1 Drugs Like Ozempic and Heart Health
A related study by researchers at University College London found that GLP-1 drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes and promote weight loss also had cardiovascular benefits, regardless of how much weight people lost or what their starting weight was.
While the study, which has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, did not include people with diabetes, “it is likely that semaglutide would produce similar results in people with diabetes,” Rautenstein said. “This is because semaglutide primarily functions by mimicking the actions of the natural incretin hormone GLP-1 to slow the absorption of food, allowing for greater feelings of fullness and controlled blood sugar metabolism.”
Positive results were seen across all genders, races, ages, regions and body sizes compared with placebo, the researchers reported.
“Our long-term analysis of semaglutide shows that clinically meaningful weight loss can be maintained for up to four years in a geographically and racially diverse population of adults who are overweight and obese but do not have diabetes,” Ryan said in a press release. “These weight reductions in such a large and diverse population suggest that it is possible to impact public health by reducing the burden of multiple obesity-related diseases. Although our study focuses on cardiovascular events, many other chronic diseases, including several types of cancer, osteoarthritis, and anxiety and depression, could benefit from effective weight management.”
John Deanfield, professor of cardiology at University College London, who led the accompanying study, added that the results show that semaglutide "has other actions that reduce cardiovascular risk beyond reducing unhealthy body fat."
"These alternative mechanisms may include positive effects on blood sugar, blood pressure or inflammation, as well as direct effects on the heart muscle and blood vessels, or a combination of one or more of these factors," he said.
Side effects of semaglutide treatment can include gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and diarrhea, as well as an increased risk of developing gallstones. However, the researchers said that negative symptoms were actually lower in semaglutide recipients than in the placebo group.
The results were presented at the European Congress on Obesity in May 2024.
The data came from the ongoing Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes (SELECT) study, which began in 2018. In 2023, a study using SELECT data in a similar population showed that taking semaglutide for more than three years reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death by 20%.
Adamrovich said additional studies showing the effects of GLP-1 treatment over more than four years would be useful "to see if the long-term benefits of weight loss and improved cardiovascular health are maintained."
"It would also be useful to conduct follow-up studies focusing on some heart-healthy diets and moderate exercise in combination with the use of semaglutide or tirzepatide," he added.