In adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, the medication semaglutide lowers the risk of serious heart problems and death by about 18% to 20% compared to a placebo, regardless of...
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
Semaglutide helps the body manage blood sugar better, which in turn reduces harmful swelling and stress in blood vessels. This makes heart attacks, strokes, and other serious heart problems less likely, no matter what other heart medicines a person is already taking.
Most probable mechanism
Semaglutide helps the body use sugar more efficiently and lowers harmful swelling in blood vessels, which makes the heart less likely to fail or have a serious event like a heart attack or stroke.
Semaglutide activates glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors in pancreatic beta cells, increasing insulin secretion and reducing glucagon release, leading to improved glycemic control.
Improved glycemic control reduces oxidative stress and advanced glycation end-product formation in vascular endothelial cells.
Reduced metabolic stress lowers circulating levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-alpha, decreasing chronic low-grade inflammation.
Lower inflammation stabilizes atherosclerotic plaques and reduces endothelial dysfunction, decreasing the likelihood of thrombosis, myocardial infarction, or sudden cardiac death.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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Contradicting (0)
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