The Study
#2496 Effect of semaglutide on kidney outcomes in people with overweight or obesity and established cardiovascular disease in the SELECT trial
This study gave one group of people a medicine and another group a sugar pill, then watched to see who had fewer kidney problems. It found that the medicine group did better, but we can't say for sure the medicine caused it because we don't know if everyone was kept blind to who got what. So we can say it probably helped, but not that it definitely did.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists tested if a shot used for weight loss (semaglutide) also helps keep kidneys healthy in people with heart disease and extra weight.
Where does this study sit?
Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control
Max 58Cross-Sectional
Max 44Case Reports & Series
Max 30Expert Opinion
Max 568 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — slowing kidney decline by 0.75 mL/min/year is clinically meaningful, especially for those already with reduced kidney function.
- 21.8% of people on semaglutide had serious kidney problems vs 2.2% on placebo; their kidney filter rate (eGFR) dropped 0.75 points less per year; urine protein (UACR) rose 10.7% less.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation
Year
2024
Authors
H. Colhoun, I. Lingvay, Paul M. Brown, J. Deanfield, K. Brown-Frandsen, S. Kahn, Jorge Plutzky, Koichi Node, Alexander Parkhomenko, L. Rydén, J. P. Wilding, J. Mann, K. Tuttle, T. Idorn, Naveen Rathor, A. M. Lincoff
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.