- A new study has found that Wegovy helped women lose more weight than men.
- Metabolism, fat patterns, social pressures, or genetics might explain the difference.
- However, both experienced the same improvement in heart failure symptoms.
- It is thought that obesity might cause the type of heart failure studied.
- Experts say Wegovy could potentially reduce women’s risk of death from heart disease.
A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found the GLP-1 drug Wegovy (semaglutide) helped females living with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) lose more weight than their male counterparts.
Heart failure is a medical condition in which the heart can no longer pump blood as efficiently as it should. Those with HFpEF have hearts that pump normally but are stiff, so they can’t function the way they should.
There is growing evidence that HFpEF is caused by obesity. However, females have a greater risk of developing this condition.
The study also reported that while females lost more weight, both males and females experienced about the same improvement in their heart failure symptoms.
Wegovy causes greater weight loss but not more benefit
The study, which included two trials, involved 1,145 people with HFpEF. Some had diabetes, while others did not.
About half the study participants were females. Upon analysis of the data, it was found that they had a higher body mass index (BMI) as well as worse heart failure symptoms.
They were also less likely to have abnormal heart rhythm or coronary artery disease in comparison to the males.
People in the study were given either 2.4 milligrams of Wegovy or a placebo once per week. This treatment extended over a period of one year (52 weeks).
The researchers reported that the females lost a larger percentage of their body weight over the course of the study (9.6% versus 7.2%),
However, the benefits to their heart failure symptoms appeared to be virtually the same. Both males and females improved by about 7.5 points on a 100-point scale.
According to reporting by Reuters, the scientists found this outcome to be “surprising” since they expected to see greater improvements in symptoms with more weight loss.
Why Wegovy might help females lose more weight
Dr. John Lowe, a Physician at Restore Care, commented on the study, saying that this difference between the sexes could be explained by metabolism as well as hormonal profiles.
“As a general rule, females have more fat in their bodies, and it is distributed in a different way, which may respond to the mechanisms of action of this medication better,” he said.
Lowe went on to point out that research has shown that females often react differently in weight loss trials due to “diverse prompting factors and social pressures.”
“[T]hese factors could increase the chances of adherence to treatment protocols and lifestyle changes, thus enhancing this drug’s effectiveness,” he suggested.
Lowe added that pharmacogenomics studies show that genetic variations can also affect how individuals react to a medication. This might account for the differences, he said.
How Wegovy might reduce the risk of heart disease in females
Dr. Michael O. McKinney, a physician and nutritionist with Healthy Outlook, commented on the study, saying that obesity is a major risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease.
Additionally, heart disease is the leading cause of death for males and females.
“Wegovy could play a central role in mitigating this risk through weight reduction for women suffering from obesity,” he said. “Losing weight helps to mitigate several cardiovascular risk factors such as decreased blood pressure levels, cholesterol and inflammation.”
McKinney went on to discuss the fact that weight loss in females living with obesity and heart disease can improve the management of their condition as well as reverse some of the consequences of carrying excess pounds.
“[I]f it works better in women than men, then Wegovy could be an amazing strategy for such patients toward effective control of their body weight, thereby reducing the chances of them having heart problems in the future,” he said.
McKinnney further described the findings of the study as “promising,” especially for females in at-risk groups.
“This means that targeting efficient strategies toward achieving what would optimize female physiological functions will highly contribute to a better health system by reducing mortality rates due to heart disease among women,” he concluded.
Takeaway
A new study has found that females with obesity and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction lost more weight than males when using the GLP-1 drug Wegovy.
Both males and females experienced improvements in their heart failure symptoms. However, neither group did better than the other.
Experts say the differences in weight loss between males and females could be due to variations in metabolism, fat distribution, social pressures, or genetics.
However, given the fact that females living with obesity are more prone to this type of heart disease and heart disease is the number one killer for all people, Wegovy has the potential to help reduce the risk of heart disease-related death.
