Semaglutide and other GLP-1 agonists like Tirzepatide, Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro have revolutionized weight loss.
Two studies presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice (May 2024) looked at the landmark “Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes” (SELECT) trial. What were the studies and what did they find? Researchers focused particularly on the effects of intraabdominal fat (aka visceral fat) associated with metabolic syndrome and heart disease.
The first study, published in Nature Medicine, looks at the long-term effects of semaglutide on weight.
What Were the Results of the Semaglutide Trial?
- Over 17,000 adults were studied (age 45 or older, 72% male) from 806 sites in 41 countries
- Semaglutide (2.4 mg) or a placebo was taken for 40 months on average
- BMI 27 or higher
- Non-diabetic when they joined the study
- History of heart attack, stroke, or peripheral artery disease
- They evaluated body composition and fat distribution — waist to height ratio — not just BMI to see the effect of semaglutide on central abdominal fat
Findings:
- Once weekly treatment with semaglutide produces sustained and meaningful weight loss
- It decreases waist size for at least 4 years in overweight/obese adults who do not have diabetes
- Low rate of serious adverse events when compared to a placebo
- Men and women — all races, all ages, all body sizes, and all geographic regions — were able to achieve this weight loss.
- In the semaglutide (not placebo) group, weight loss continued to week 65 and was sustained for 4 years
- They lost on average of 10.2% of their body weight and 7.7 cm from their waistline (placebo was 1.5% and 1.3 cm)
- The waist to hip ratio fell by 6.9% (1% in placebo)
- Women tended to lose more weight on average than men
- Asian patients lost less weight on average than other patients
- After two years 52% of semaglutide went to a lower BMI category (16% of placebo), with 12% of the semaglutide group reaching a BMI of 25 or less
- Fewer semaglutide patients had cardiac disorders than in placebo
- More semaglutide patients discontinued the trial due to GI symptoms (nausea and diarrhea), usually seen in the 20-week dose escalation phase. Gallstones were higher.
Conclusion:
“Our long term analysis of semaglutide establishes that clinically relevant weight loss can be sustained for up to 4 years in a geographically and racialy diverse population of adults with overweight and obesity, but no diabetes.”
How Can Biohackr Health Help?
We have done semaglutide and now tirzepatide injections for weight loss. We do InBody scans, advance doses as needed, treat nausea, measure your vital signs, and supplement with other effective treatments like probiotics and NAD.
