“Ozempic” has been in the news lately and most recently has been promoted and known as a medication to help with weight loss. But what is Ozempic? Why is it used for diabetes? Does it promote weight loss? Most importantly does it help to modify heart disease?
Heart disease still ranks second behind cancer as the leading cause of death for Canadians accounting for 57,890 deaths in 2023. Thus, optimal management of heart disease has the potential to save thousands of lives a year.
This will be the first of a two-part series for Heart Beats on Ozempic (“Semaglutide”). This article will look at the story behind Ozempic, how Ozempic helps to control diabetes and how Ozempic is related to weight loss. The `second article, next month, will look further into the effects of Semaglutide on heart disease, the ongoing research into Semaglutide and Semaglutide like medications and their potential uses.
From the start it must be emphasized, for those with diabetes and heart disease, there is absolutely no substitution for a proper heart healthy diet, exercise and smoking cessation. These are still major pillars for control of diabetes and heart disease.
As Ozempic is a brand name, for the rest of the article we will be using the generic name, Semaglutide.
Semaglutide had its origins from research in Denmark in 1988 initially looking at ulcer disease. The researchers were looking for “peptide” (peptides act much like hormones and can be turned into “medications” for specific conditions) that would attach to a specific “receptor” in the stomach and how it would affect stomach ulcers. The peptide they were looking at was called a Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). By 1998 researchers found that what they were developing for ulcers had a significant effect in controlling blood sugar. This then led to clinical trials starting in 2008 specifically studying a modified version Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) called Semaglutide. This was studied as a once-weekly medication for Type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent). A further clinical trial in 2016/2017 confirmed Semaglutide efficacy for type 2 diabetes and it was released as a medication (Ozempic) for use in Type 2 diabetes in 2017.
Through the studies looking at Semaglutide for diabetes, it was noted there was also a concurrent loss of appetite and weight loss. Further research found that the “receptors” Semaglutide acted on were not only present in the pancreas but also in the small bowel, stomach and brain. In the small bowel Semaglutamide helped control release of insulin from the pancreas for diabetes. It was also found that in the stomach Semaglutide slowed the emptying of the stomach thus giving feedback to the brain that you are “full” with a concurrent decrease in the amount you would eat. A further direct effect of Semaglutide was found on the brain where it decreased the hunger sensation thus directly decreased your appetite. Semaglutamide and other versions of this were released for treatment of obesity and weight loss in 2021.
It is essential that if you are diabetic or considering Semaglutide or one of its derivatives (e.g. Wegovy) for weight loss that it is under the guidance of a healthcare professional to ensure its safety, effectiveness and monitoring recommendations.
Stay tuned for the next chapter on Semaglutide medications…..from the heart!!!
Submitted by: Dr. Andrew Affleck, Board Member, Northern Hearts