{"id":517099,"date":"2026-03-04T01:29:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T01:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/517099\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T01:29:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T01:29:16","slug":"drugs-like-wegovy-and-ozempic-could-cut-the-risk-of-heart-attack-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/517099\/","title":{"rendered":"Drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic \u2018could cut the risk of heart attack damage\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jabs like Wegovy and Ozempic may cut the risk of life-threatening complications after a heart attack, researchers have discovered.<\/p>\n

GLP-1 drugs were found to have a powerful effect in preventing tissue damage, which has the potential to cut the risk of serious problems that affect up to half of all patients suffering a heart attack.<\/p>\n

Experts believe they could be given by paramedics at the scene if somebody has suffered a heart attack.<\/p>\n

The new study was led by the University of Bristol and University College London (UCL), and looked at GLP-1 drugs, which include semaglutide (Wegovy and Ozempic).<\/p>\n

Previous studies have shown the drugs can lower the risk of serious heart problems, regardless of a patient\u2019s other health conditions or the amount of weight they lose.<\/p>\n

In the new study, experts looked at how the drugs could help reverse blockages caused by cells called pericytes, which constrict blood vessels at the onset of a heart attack and reduce blood flow.<\/p>\n

Dr Svetlana Mastitskaya, senior lecturer in cardiovascular regenerative medicine at Bristol Medical School and the study\u2019s lead author, said: \u201cIn nearly half of all heart attack patients, tiny blood vessels within the heart muscle remain narrowed, even after the main artery is cleared during emergency medical treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis results in a complication known as \u2018no-reflow\u2019, where blood is unable to reach certain parts of the heart tissue.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur previous research has shown that this narrowing of blood vessels contributes significantly to \u2018no-reflow\u2019, a complication that increases the risk of death or hospital admission for heart failure within a year of a heart attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut our latest findings are surprising in that we have found GLP-1 drugs may prevent this problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using mice, the team found GLP-1 drugs improved blood flow to the heart following a heart attack by activating potassium channels and thus relaxing pericytes.<\/p>\n

This allowed the blood vessels to open up, reducing the risk of further damage to the heart.<\/p>\n

Dr Mastitskaya told the Press Association they could be given to patients even if they have not had the drug before.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cThe drugs can be given by paramedics attending the patient even on the way to the hospital and\/or during surgical reopening of the occluded artery. This needs to be determined by clinical trials.\u201d<\/p>\n

Professor David Attwell, from UCL and the study\u2019s co-lead, said: \u201cWith an increasing number of similar GLP-1 drugs now being used in clinical practice, for conditions ranging from type 2 diabetes and obesity to kidney disease, our findings highlight the potential for these existing drugs to be repurposed to treat the risk of \u2018no-reflow\u2019 in heart attack patients, offering a potentially life-saving solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.<\/p>\n

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