Fat jabs ‘could prevent deadly heart attacks even if you DON’T lose weight’

OZEMPIC boosts your heart health even if you don’t lose weight, according to a study.

Scientists at University College London found semaglutide, the active ingredient in diabetes medicine Ozempic and fat jab Wegovy, cut heart attack or stroke risk by 20 per cent.

They found this was true regardless of how much weight the patient lost.

It means the blockbuster drug has medical benefits in addition to improving health by reducing fat.

That suggests they could benefit less overweight people at high risk of heart troubles.

Study author and top heart doctor, Professor John Deanfield, said: “These findings reframe what we think this medication is doing. 

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“It is labelled as a weight loss jab but its benefits for the heart are not directly related to the amount of weight lost. 

“In fact, it is a drug that directly affects heart disease and other diseases of ageing.”

Jabs could benefit many as heart disease is a top UK killer

The research is one of a string of studies showing weight loss injections have wide-reaching health benefits.

Others suggest they might even reduce the risks of dementia and cancer.

The jabs are hugely popular, with 2.5million prescriptions issued in the UK in July.

Prof Deanfield’s study, published in The Lancet journal, used records from 17,000 over-45s with heart disease who were taking semaglutide for weight loss.

It found a similar reduction in serious “cardiac events” – such as heart attacks or strokes – in all patients regardless of their starting weight or how much weight they lost in the trial.

Heart diseases are one of the UK’s top killers, with about 170,000 deaths per year, and half of Brits are estimated to develop the conditions.

The NHS currently only offers Ozempic and Wegovy to patients with type 2 diabetes or a small number of slimmers through specialist weight loss clinics.

Prof Deanfield said a “broad range” of people could benefit.

He added: “This work shows you don’t have to lose a lot of weight and you don’t need a high BMI to gain cardiovascular benefit.”