United States – A drug approved for controlling Type-2 diabetes and obesity has the potential to halt aging, researchers speculate.
Potential to Halt Aging
The new studies suggest that semaglutide, sold under the trade name Ozempic, “has broader benefits that go beyond what was initially thought,” Prof Harlan Krumholz, from Yale School of Medicine, stated, as reported by BBC News.
They established that the drug could be used to manage all sorts of diseases that are associated with heart failure, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer.
Broader Health Implications
“I am not surprised that making people healthier in this way ages them more slowly,” Prof Krumholz was reported to have said at the European Society of Cardiology Conference 2024.
This new data is available in many scientific journals, such as the Journal of the American College of Cardiology edited by Prof Krumholz.
“These ground-breaking medications are poised to revolutionize cardiovascular care and could dramatically enhance cardiovascular health,” he said.
The studies, which were part of the Select trial, followed 17,700 participants, who were 45 or older, as they received either 2. 4 mg of semaglutide or a placebo for more than 3 years.
The participants were those who were either obese or overweight and had cardiovascular disease but were nondiabetic.
People who ingested the drug succumbed to trace mortality from all diseases, heart complications inclusive and COVID-19 in particular, as identified by the study.
Consumers taking the weight-reducing medication had the same risk of contracting Covid but were less likely to succumb compared to 2. 6% mortality among participants on semaglutide compared to 3. 1% on the placebo.
Women, of course, had significantly fewer major adverse cardiovascular events, but “the drug did reduce the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes” in women and men.
It also reduces heart failure symptoms and levels of inflammation in the body, irrespective of weight loss.
Impact on Cardiovascular Health
Dr. Benjamin Scirica, the lead author of one of the studies and a professor at Harvard Medical School, said that the study’s conclusions were that being overweight and leading an obese lifestyle is bad for your heart and may lead to death due to various causes.
However, he said this ‘can be modified with potent incretin-based therapies like semaglutide’ to the PA news agency.
It is an appetite suppressant that is available through the NHS and is an anti-obesity medication known as Wegovy, as well as a type 2 diabetes drug called Ozempic.
Availability and Cautions
This is in the form of an injection and works like GLP-1, a hormone that helps reduce hunger.
Earlier, health authorities urged those considering using the product to exercise and eat properly, insisting that it should not be regarded as a miraculous weight loss cure and should only be taken with a doctor’s suggestions, as reported by BBC News.
As with any medicine, there are the risks and possible side effects – the most noted of which include nausea, stomach discomfort, bloating, and gas.