Fox 2 (WJBK) – Demand for weight loss drugs is skyrocketing nationwide.

The drug semaglutide, originally approved to treat diabetes but now sold under various brand names, is now also approved for people with cardiovascular disease who are obese or overweight.

The director of preventive cardiology at the University of Michigan said the drug is a promising option for many patients.

Dr. Eric Jerome Brandt said, “Except in the last few years, or even more recently since the latest trials were published, there have been no good treatments for managing obesity with significant weight loss other than surgical approaches. I didn’t.” “With the availability of drugs that not only significantly reduce body weight but also lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, we are now equipped with new medical treatments that have very good treatments that can be applied to people who are at an unhealthy weight. We are entering an era of

Semaglutide is a drug known as a GLP agonist, which works by mimicking hormones that occur in the intestines, reducing hunger and potentially changing the amount of food a person seeks over time. there is.

In clinical trials, semaglutide was found to reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke by about 20 percent in high-risk people.

Still, Brandt says there is much to learn about these drugs.

“Over time, we will learn more about the nuances of exactly who to treat,” he said. “(And) how long should I continue to take these drugs, and whether I need to continue taking them long-term? Unhealthy weight problems are a problem for which they don’t have good medical treatments. That’s it.”

“But now that we have these drugs, we have better treatments to help treat unhealthy weight, and some people may end up taking these drugs for a long time.”

It’s important to be aware of how much what you eat and your weight affect your risk of heart disease.

“Continuous weight loss, with or without medication, can significantly improve your risk of heart disease,” Brandt said. “And it’s not just that less weight loss helps lower your risk, less weight loss improves blood pressure control, lowers cholesterol, and also lowers your risk of diabetes or those who have already been diagnosed with diabetes.” If there is, management will often improve.

“So losing weight is tied to many other risk factors that also contribute to heart disease.”

Brandt says that sustained weight loss, with or without medication, can improve multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Still life of Wegovy, an injectable prescription weight loss drug that has helped obese people. It should be used in conjunction with a weight loss plan and physical activity. (Photo by Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group, Getty Images)