Skip to main content

Wegovy Helps Heart Failure Patients Lose Weight, Improve Symptoms

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on June 25, 2024.

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, June 24, 2024 -- Weight-loss drugs like Wegovy can improve symptoms in heart failure patients, a new clinical trial shows.

Both men and women showed improved heart function after a year on semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, researchers report.

Women tended to lose more weight than men, on average about 9.6% of their body weight compared with 7.2% in men.

However, both genders experienced similar improvements regarding their heart health, researchers found. This could mean the drug might have heart benefits above and beyond helping people lose weight.

The results shed light on “the consistent benefits of semaglutide for women and men,” said senior researcher Dr. Mikhail Kosiborod, a cardiologist at Saint Luke's Mid-America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo.

For the clinical trial, researchers randomly assigned 1,145 people with heart failure to take either semaglutide or a placebo for a year.

Heart failure occurs when the heart starts to pump less efficiently, slowing the delivery of oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.

This results in fatigue and shortness of breath, making everyday activities like walking or carrying groceries very difficult for some, according to the American Heart Association.

But people on semaglutide experienced improvement in both their heart failure symptoms and the physical limitations the condition placed upon them, trial results show.

They also had lower blood pressure and a smaller waist circumference after a year on the drug, as well as less inflammation, researchers said.

The findings were published June 23 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and presented simultaneously at the American Diabetes Association’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

Sources

  • American College of Cardiology, news release, June 23, 2024

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Hearing Loss Could Predict Heart Failure

THURSDAY, April 10, 2025 -- An older person’s hearing might be a harbinger of heart health, a new study says. People who experience hearing loss are more likely to develop...

Heart Problems Linked To Brain Shrinkage

THURSDAY, March 27, 2025 -- Heart disease might contribute to the sort of brain shrinkage seen in dementia, a new study says. People with early signs of heart problems are more...

Study Finds Better Way For Smartwatches to Track Health

MONDAY, March 24, 2025 -- Folks frequently use their smartwatches to monitor their daily step count, aiming to get enough physical activity to improve their health. But...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.