Ozempic May Help Treat Conditions Beyond Diabetes and Obesity

By Rachel Murphy 

 Fact checked by Nick Blackmer

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Key Takeaways

  • The active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy—semaglutide—is a powerful drug that might have more uses beyond treating type 2 diabetes and chronic obesity.

  • Semaglutide might be able to treat conditions stemming from insulin resistance, such as PCOS and metabolic syndrome.

  • A study found a link between type 2 diabetes and all forms of dementia, and semaglutide could work as a preventive drug for Alzheimer's disease, experts say.

When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Ozempic (semaglutide) in 2017, it gave hope to people with type 2 diabetes. But as the potential for weight loss became apparent, its popularity skyrocketed. Now, Ozempic and its weight loss-approved version, Wegovy, are proving to be some of the most in-demand drugs on the market.

But outside of controlling diabetes and aiding weight loss, what else can semaglutide be used for?

Maria Teresa Anton, MD, an endocrinologist and educator at the Pritikin Longevity Center, told Verywell that semaglutide may be useful for several conditions stemming from insulin resistance, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), metabolic syndrome, certain cancers, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Comparing Wegovy vs. Ozempic

PCOS

People with PCOS often have insulin resistance as well, according to Anton. Insulin resistance can encourage obesity, which is another common symptom of PCOS. Semaglutide can help manage weight and control some symptoms of PCOS, such as irregular periods and acne.

“Insulin resistance is one of the primary findings of PCOS, along with irregular periods,” Anton said. “We can utilize semaglutide to assist with weight loss and insulin resistance because being overweight is a very common finding with PCOS.”

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Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome, also called insulin resistance syndrome, is a cluster of different conditions that heighten the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. About one in three U.S. adults are affected by this condition.1

Metabolic syndrome includes three or more of these risk factors: high blood pressure, high blood sugar, abnormal levels of cholesterol and fat, and a large waistline. Losing weight by using semaglutide can have a positive impact on metabolic syndrome, lowering the risk of heart disease and diabetes, Anton said.

Certain Cancers

Researchers are exploring how insulin may affect certain cancers, according to Anton.

“Insulin resistance is a risk factor for certain types of cancers, like breast, colon, and endometrial cancer,” she said. “It will be interesting to see how the role of improving insulin resistance may reduce the risk for certain types of cancers.”

Currently, obesity is linked to a higher risk of 13 types of cancer. Some studies have suggested that weight loss among people with obesity may have reduced risks of breast, endometrial, colon, and prostate cancers.2 But researchers are still exploring how obesity plays a role in cancer risk and progression.

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Alzheimer’s Disease

Studies have found a strong association between type 2 diabetes and all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.3 However, in Alzheimer's disease, the problem of insulin resistance seems to be localized in the brain, rather than the entire body.4

Anton said that semaglutide could be useful as a type of preventive measure for Alzheimer’s.

“Alzheimer’s is kind of being classified as type 3 diabetes now. So helping to improve that insulin resistance early on will hopefully help to prevent that type of dementia from evolving,” she said.

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Nonalcoholic Liver Disease

Semaglutide could also have benefits for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a type of fatty liver disease, according to Beverly Tchang, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine.

A recent trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that NASH patients who received semaglutide daily had significantly better resolution of symptoms than those who received a placebo. For patients given a dosage of 0.4 mg daily for 72 weeks, symptoms resolved by 59% as opposed to 17% in the placebo group.5

“I anticipate seeing more studies demonstrating benefits of the GLP1-receptor antagonist class in people with fatty liver disease,” Tchang told Verywell. “It’s currently being investigated in subpopulations of people with obesity—those with concomitant heart failure or chronic kidney disease for example.”