- Research suggests popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy that contain semaglutide may have additional benefits.
- These drug are used to manage type 2 diabetes and to promote weight loss, but researchers are reporting it is also highly effective at reducing inflammation.
- Experts say this is good news for people who are living with type 2 diabetes and obesity as these drugs can reduce complications as well as promote weight loss.
Researchers in Australia say they have discovered additional benefits to the type 2 diabetes and weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy that contain the active ingredient semaglutide.
A study published today in the journal Kidney International reports that as well as being effective for weight loss and blood glucose control, semaglutide drugs may also be highly effective at reducing inflammation.
“We’ve discovered that these drugs not only improve diabetes and lose weight, but seem to have a benefit in the heart and kidney. And this has been a bit of a surprise, because the way the drugs historically worked, there was no clear cut explanation for why they would be beneficial in the kidney and the heart,” Mark Cooper, PhD, a co-author of the study and the head of the Department of Diabetes at Monash University in Australia, told Medical News Today.
“The studies showed that these drugs have extra effects, in addition to lowering glucose and reducing body weight, because they are very powerful at reducing inflammation,” he added. “And that’s very important because people who are overweight and people with diabetes who are taking these drugs have very high risk of kidney and heart disease. So it’s an extra benefit of this class of drugs, and it’s working through this action on inflammation.”
Ozempic is an injection that along with diet and exercise can help control blood sugar levels in people living with type 2 diabetes. It is also prescribed for weight loss in some people.
The drug works in the brain to reduce…
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