Research

Hormonal

Semaglutide administration (up to 1.0 mg/week) in obese heart failure patients significantly reduces BMI and improves functional capacity (NYHA class and 6-minute walk distance) compared to standard medical therapy alone.

For obese heart failure patients, adding semaglutide to standard care can significantly reduce weight and improve heart failure symptoms and walking distance. The medication is taken once weekly, starting at a low dose to minimize nausea, and titrated up over months. While not a cure, it offers a pharmacological option for weight management in this specific population where exercise may be limited by dyspnea.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
At one year, the SEMA group exhibited significant weight loss, with a mean BMI reduction of -2.91 kg/m²... Improvements by at least one NYHA class were observed in 65% of the SEMA group... The SEMA group also showed a significant increase in 6-minute walk distance (6MWD)...
Mahmoud Balata et al. · BMC Cardiovascular Disorders · 2024

Why this rating

Retrospective propensity-score matched analysis with a small sample size (26 pairs) and single-center design limits generalizability.

Source

Impact of semaglutide on weight and functional outcomes among obese heart failure patients: a propensity scores matching analysis

Mahmoud Balata et al. · BMC Cardiovascular Disorders · 2024

DOI 10.1186/s12872-024-04275-2

cohort · n=1942Cited 5×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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