Weight loss jabs reduce depression and migraine risk in menopausal women

Weight loss jabs reduced the risk of migraine and depression in menopausal women compared with hormone therapy alone, a new study has found.

Women across all menopause stages taking semaglutide (Wegovy) had a 42-45% lower risk of migraine six months after starting the medication and a 25% lower risk of depression compared with those who took menopausal hormone therapy alone.

The findings are based on a one-year real-world study of more than 34,000 menopausal women in the US who took hormone therapy, Wegovy, or a combination of both.

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They were announced by Wegovy manufacturer Novo Nordisk – alongside data from the randomised, double-blinded STEP UP and SELECT trials – at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul last week.

Dr Emilia Huvinen, a gynaecologist researcher and associate professor at the University of Helsinki who was involved in two of the three studies, said: ‘Menopause, associated weight gain and unwanted changes in cardiometabolic markers can significantly impact long-term health and wellbeing of women. Still, they remain one of the most neglected areas in obesity research.

‘Whether we look at cardiovascular outcomes or weight loss across menopausal stages, semaglutide appears to offer meaningful benefits for women with obesity that extend well beyond weight loss alone.’

Analysis of the STEP UP trial found that premenopausal women with obesity lost an average 22.6% of their body weight when taking a once-weekly dose of Wegovy compared with placebo.

Researchers said that the average waist circumference reduction in pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal women was 17.5%, 15.6% and 15.3% respectively, indicating a ‘major loss of dangerous visceral fat’.

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The STEP UP trial of 1,407 adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, investigated the efficacy and safety of Wegovy 7.2mg jabs.

Meanwhile, the SELECT trial of 17,604 participants aged 45 or older with a BMI of 27 or above assessed the impact of Wegovy on cardiovascular health compared to placebo.

A post-hoc analysis of the SELECT trial found that perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with obesity and heart disease saw a reduced risk of ‘heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death’.

Novo Nordisk said obesity affects nearly one-in-five women globally, and the burden intensifies during menopause because hormonal changes accelerate weight gain, redistribute the fat to the abdomen, and increase cardiometabolic risk.

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It added that the three studies show that when women with obesity lose weight with Wegovy, ‘they improve their body composition with reduced waist circumference, indicative of less visceral fat, and they also reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes while improving their quality of life, from migraine burden to depression and menopause symptoms’.

This article was first published by our sister title The Pharmacist