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home / heart health / semaglutide heart benefits backed by new wave of research

semaglutide heart benefits backed by new wave of research

wegovy and ozempic are gamechangers for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes, but what is lesser known is how these medications are actually helping to reduce the risk of heart attacks.

by karen hawthorne
published apr 03, 2025
read time 4 minute read
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read time 4 minute read
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once known primarily for diabetes and weight management, semaglutide is now showing promise as a breakthrough tool for heart health. getty images
wegovy and ozempic are gamechangers for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes, but what is lesser known is how these medications are actually helping to reduce the risk of heart attacks. 
“obesity and being overweight are not necessarily something that we often think about as treatable sort of risk factors for reducing heart attack risk,” says dr. subodh verma, cardiac surgeon at st. michael’s hospital in toronto and professor at the university of toronto. “it’s been a very difficult discussion throughout my career because instead of  trying to empower patients to manage their overweight or obesity, oftentimes the conversation with patients is one-sided where you’re the problem. we say ‘eat less, exercise more and i can’t help you with anything else.’ this kind of dialogue never works.”  
that said, he points out that canadians living with obesity are at least twice as likely to have heart disease as people with healthy weight. if they’re living with obesity and diabetes, those odds jump to being three times as likely to have heart disease. the typical advice for these patients has been a combination of lifestyle changes and drug therapy to reduce heart disease risk, like not smoking or drinking, and controlling blood pressure and blood sugar.  

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the success of the prescription medication semaglutide, first used to treat diabetes and most commonly associated with brands ozempic and wegovy,  has made it a common long-term strategy to manage weight. but now, new and continued research shows the drug could be a breakthrough tool for cardiologists.

score trial and more reduced risk of cardiovascular events

verma is leading the canadian part of international trials on how semaglutide effects cardiovascular outcomes in people who are overweight or obese. the drug, which was approved by health canada for treating obesity in november 2021 and became accessible to canadians in may 2024, was tested in the semaglutide effects on cardiovascular outcomes in people with overweight or obesity in the real world (score) trial observing patients in their own environments. real-world study data is key because it provides insights into how treatments work outside of controlled clinical trial settings.
recently released data from score demonstrates that 2.4 mg of semaglutide for people with established cardiovascular disease who are overweight or obese but without diabetes, experienced a substantially reduced risk for subsequent heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths. with diabetes out of the equation, researchers can focus on other mechanisms behind the drug’s effectiveness. 
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verma says that if someone has had a heart attack or a stroke, their chance of having a second heart attack or stroke or dying is exceedingly high. so, the research has shown how the drug can reduce “the total burden” of cardiovascular disease on patients and the healthcare system. 
the results come on the heels of a previous trial in a controlled clinical setting that demonstrated how wegovy reduced the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with cardiovascular disease and a bmi over 27 kg/m². in november 2024, health canada approved wegovy as a treatment to lower the risk of heart attack.  

semaglutide showing potential to heal damaged blood vessels

the other big win is the recognition that the drug potentially treats damaged blood vessels that lead to heart attack or stroke. “the thought was that this is not just a drug for weight. this is not just a drug for sugar. it suggests that this is a drug that actually repairs and restores blood vessel function, which at the end of the day is the root cause of cardiovascular diseases, the rust in the pipe.”  
problems start with the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls. this plaque can cause arteries to narrow, blocking blood flow, and the plaque also can burst causing a blood clot. 
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as well, a drug for blood vessel rehabilitation opens the door for treating other debilitating health conditions. verma has also led research for the stride trial that looked at people with diabetes and peripheral artery disease (pad), where narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the arms or legs. it is one of the most common and serious complications of diabetes and a leading cause of disability and amputation. “they’ve got blockages in their legs, they can’t walk, they can only go 100 metres or 150 metres and then they get debilitating symptoms,” he explains. there are no available therapies in canada to specifically improve symptoms, quality of life and complications of pad.  
patients in the trial were treated with ozempic or a placebo, revealing that treatment with ozempic led to a significant improvement in patients’ ability to walk and an improvement in their quality of life metrics, verma says, speaking to semaglutide’s potential as a vascular drug for healing blood vessel damage. 
“you need healthy plumbing to prevent a heart attack or stroke and dying, and everything that we do at the end of the day when the rubber hits the road is at stabilizing and healing and helping that blood vessel.” 
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semaglutide is transitioning from a drug for overweight or obesity or diabetes to being a vascular drug. “that’s where the data shows a real sea change that this is a vascular drug. so statins and drugs that lower cholesterol are vascular drugs. but despite using those medications, the rates of heart attacks and strokes are still high.” 
karen hawthorne
karen hawthorne

karen hawthorne worked for six years as a digital editor for the national post, contributing articles on health, business, culture and travel for affiliated newspapers across canada. she now writes from her home office in toronto and takes breaks to bounce with her son on the backyard trampoline and walk bingo, her bull terrier.

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