The answer is yes! Semaglutide has heavily studied, and it has been found to have benefits beyond weight loss, including lowering risk for diabetes related conditions, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and obesity related cancer. Semaglutide has also shown great promise in the areas of combating addiction, liver disease, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and sleep apnea.

Diabetes

In 2017, Semaglutide was initially approved as a novel treatment option for type 2 diabetes. Some of the clinical trials found that semaglutide lowered the diabetes management marker called hemoglobin A1C by up to 2 percentage points on average.

In addition, people taking semaglutide were more likely to achieve an A1C treatment goal of less than 7% compared with using other medicines. These initial studies also showed evidence of not only weight loss, but also cardiovascular risk reduction. Given that it lowers blood sugar levels, Semaglutide may also protect the kidneys from damage caused by high blood sugar levels, which can lead to chronic kidney disease and kidney failure.

Cardiovascular disease

Some studies have found that semaglutide can reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke in adults with overweight or obesity who have known cardiovascular disease.

In fact, a significant clinical trial found semaglutide can reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events or death by 26% compared with placebo. A similar trial in people without diabetes found a 20% reduction in similar outcomes.

The FDA has expanded its approval to include a reduction in the risk of major heart events in people with type 2 diabetes. In 2023, the FDA expanded this approval to persons who do not have diabetes based upon a clinical trial called Semaglutide Effects on Cardiovascular Outcomes in People With Overweight or Obesity (SELECT). This study showed that Wegovy can significantly reduce the risk of major heart events, in peoepl who do not have diabetes.

Heart failure

Semaglutide also has been studied in individuals with certain types of obesity-related heart failure. This includes individuals both with and without diabetes. Further, some studies suggest that semaglutide may help improve heart failure-related symptoms, such as tiredness, shortness of breath and swelling. Additionally, improvements in physical limitations and exercise tolerance, along with weight loss, also were seen.

Cancer

There are several recent studies of semaglutide showing early promise in preventing many common cancers including breast, colon, liver, and ovarian which are known to be driven by obesity and excess weight. In one study, patients treated for type 2 diabetes with semaglutide developed fewer obesity related cancers.

Potential future uses

There are currently multiple studies in progress to examine if semaglutide will be beneficial for other conditions. These include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, sleep apnea, and the liver disease.