The Know Daily - Tuesday 14 May 2024

_{Read in 5m 48s ∙ Listening to Nemo ∙}

We love an innovative green initiative, and the Belgian city of Antwerp has certainly branched out with this one: to give away 2,000 free trees to local residents! It’s hoped the project will help keep the city cool over summer, improve air quality and create more habitats for birds and other animals. 

🔬 Medical breakthrough

Semaglutide - the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic - could benefit the cardiovascular health of millions of adults across the UK, a new study has found.

What are the benefits, exactly?
Researchers at University College London looked at study participants taking semaglutide, a prescription drug that suppresses appetite and is sold under brand names such as Ozempic and Wegovy. They found that these patients had a 20% lower risk of heart attack, stroke, or death due to cardiovascular disease, compared with patients who were not on the medication.

Why is this the case?
Researchers found that semaglutide brought cardiovascular benefits regardless of the amount of weight lost. The study’s lead author Prof John Deanfield said this could be down to the drug’s positive impacts on blood sugar, blood pressure or inflammation, as well as direct effects on the heart muscle and blood vessels.

Why does this matter?
Deanfield - who described semaglutide as a “gamechanger” - likened the study’s findings to when cholesterol-lowering statins were introduced in the 1990s. “We now have a class of drugs that could equally transform many chronic diseases of ageing,” said Deanfield, adding that millions across the UK could be routinely prescribed the medication in the next few years.