The weight-loss drug semaglutide—the active ingredient in Wegovy—reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes regardless of how much weight a person loses, according to the largest study of its kind published in The Lancet.
Researchers at University College London analysed data from more than 17,600 adults aged 45 and over across 41 countries. Participants were overweight or obese and received either weekly semaglutide injections or a placebo. The study found a 20% reduction in major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, strokes, or deaths from heart disease among those who took semaglutide, regardless of total weight loss.
However, reductions in waist circumference—a sign of less abdominal fat—were linked to better heart outcomes, accounting for about one-third of the drug’s cardiovascular benefits.
Lead author Prof John Deanfield said the findings suggest semaglutide’s heart-protective effects go beyond weight loss. “Abdominal fat is particularly harmful to cardiovascular health, but two-thirds of the benefits remain unexplained,” he said. “This reframes semaglutide as more than a weight-loss jab—it directly impacts heart and ageing-related diseases.”
Deanfield said the results challenge current restrictions limiting semaglutide use to severely obese patients. “You don’t need to lose a lot of weight or have a high BMI to gain heart benefits,” he said, though he added that potential side-effects must still be carefully monitored.
