Ozempic, other weight-loss drugs help with heart attack, stroke, fertility. Dementia next?

Ozempic and similar weight-loss drugs can lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney and liver disease, and even increase fertility

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Ozempic and similar new weight-loss drugs also lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney and liver disease, and some increase fertility. The mechanism they use to target parts of the body could be applied to dementia treatment, researchers hope. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:15am, 13 Sep 2024Updated: 10:05am, 22 Oct 2024

Ozempic, first approved in China to treat diabetes in 2021, is often referred to as the “internet celebrity weight-loss drug”. Its use there has soared, as it has almost everywhere.

Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy seemed to work magic when they were launched and are quickly being joined by other drugs that work to have the same effect.

For the first time there is a medical intervention that leads to significant weight loss – up to 15 per cent of body weight, sometimes even more. And it is a lucrative business.

Global obesity spending reached nearly US$24 billion in 2023, a sevenfold growth in three years. From this year, that market is expected to grow by a further 30 per cent, reaching US$131 billion in 2028 – not just because these drugs affect weight, but because by extension they alleviate a host of other health conditions.

With more than a billion obese people on the planet, Clemmensen says at least 10 effective drugs that work in different ways are needed. Photo: Shutterstock

Most of us know that being too heavy is bad for our heart, and losing weight reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. Several studies support this.

Losing weight could further support heart health by helping to reduce the inflammation that comes with fat cells and which can lead to atherosclerosis, or narrowing of the blood vessels.