Key TakeawaysThe 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.

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 frominsulin resistance, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), metabolic syndrome, certain cancers, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Wegovy vs. Ozempic: How Are They Different?

PCOS

People withPCOSoften have insulin resistance as well, according to Anton. Insulin resistance can encourage obesity, which is anothercommon 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.”

Metabolic Syndrome

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.But researchers are still exploring how obesity plays a role in cancer risk and progression.

Alzheimer’s Disease

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

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

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

How Does Ozempic Work?

Nonalcoholic Liver Disease

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

“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.”

Can You Take Ozempic With Other Medications?

What This Means For You

5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What is metabolic syndrome?National Cancer Institute.Obesity and cancer.Barbagallo M, Dominguez LJ.Type 2 diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer’s disease.World J Diabetes. 2014;5(6):889-893. doi:10.4239/wjd.v5.i6.889Kandimalla R, Thirumala V, Reddy PH.Is Alzheimer’s disease a Type 3 Diabetes? A critical appraisal.Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2017;1863(5):1078-1089. doi:10.1016/j.bbadis.2016.08.018Newsome PN, Buchholtz K, Cusi K, et al.A placebo-controlled trial of subcutaneous semaglutide in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.N Engl J Med. 2021;384(12):1113-1124. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2028395

5 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What is metabolic syndrome?National Cancer Institute.Obesity and cancer.Barbagallo M, Dominguez LJ.Type 2 diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer’s disease.World J Diabetes. 2014;5(6):889-893. doi:10.4239/wjd.v5.i6.889Kandimalla R, Thirumala V, Reddy PH.Is Alzheimer’s disease a Type 3 Diabetes? A critical appraisal.Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2017;1863(5):1078-1089. doi:10.1016/j.bbadis.2016.08.018Newsome PN, Buchholtz K, Cusi K, et al.A placebo-controlled trial of subcutaneous semaglutide in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.N Engl J Med. 2021;384(12):1113-1124. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2028395

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What is metabolic syndrome?National Cancer Institute.Obesity and cancer.Barbagallo M, Dominguez LJ.Type 2 diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer’s disease.World J Diabetes. 2014;5(6):889-893. doi:10.4239/wjd.v5.i6.889Kandimalla R, Thirumala V, Reddy PH.Is Alzheimer’s disease a Type 3 Diabetes? A critical appraisal.Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2017;1863(5):1078-1089. doi:10.1016/j.bbadis.2016.08.018Newsome PN, Buchholtz K, Cusi K, et al.A placebo-controlled trial of subcutaneous semaglutide in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.N Engl J Med. 2021;384(12):1113-1124. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2028395

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What is metabolic syndrome?

National Cancer Institute.Obesity and cancer.

Barbagallo M, Dominguez LJ.Type 2 diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer’s disease.World J Diabetes. 2014;5(6):889-893. doi:10.4239/wjd.v5.i6.889

Kandimalla R, Thirumala V, Reddy PH.Is Alzheimer’s disease a Type 3 Diabetes? A critical appraisal.Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2017;1863(5):1078-1089. doi:10.1016/j.bbadis.2016.08.018

Newsome PN, Buchholtz K, Cusi K, et al.A placebo-controlled trial of subcutaneous semaglutide in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.N Engl J Med. 2021;384(12):1113-1124. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2028395

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