Is there a link between Wegovy and heart health?

It’s a well-established fact that your weight can have an impact on your heart health. Obesity (or having a BMI over 30) can increase your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke because of the extra effort that your heart has to make to pump blood.

A weight loss approach that is growing in popularity is the use of medicated weight loss products. They rely on different drug-related mechanisms to help you to lose weight. One of the latest is Wegovy.

Wegovy helps to reduce your body weight by mimicking the action of a hormone called GLP-1. This helps to send signals to your brain making you feel fuller for longer and less hungry.

Data from a trial that tested the effectiveness of the drug on over 17,000 people aged 45 or over showed that people with an existing cardiovascular condition saw improvements to their heart health regardless of the amount of weight they lost.

The active ingredient in the medicine, semaglutide, had a positive effect on blood pressure, inflammation and blood sugars, which are all important factors in cardiovascular health.

But Wegovy is not currently prescribed to improve heart disease. It’s always important to talk to your pharmacist or doctor about your weight- and heart-related health concerns you may have. They will advise you on the approaches and treatments best suited to your personal needs.