Feb. 5, 2024 — People with obesity who took the weight-loss drug Zepbound experienced blood pressure reductions that were just like or higher than results typically seen with traditional medications used to treat hypertension or hypertension, a brand new evaluation shows shows.
The Results were published Monday within the Journal of the American Heart Association hypertension.
Approximately 500 people within the study wore 24-hour blood pressure monitors, either on the waist belt or shoulder strap, which took measurements via a connected cuff on the non-dominant arm. The measurements were taken every half-hour in the course of the day and each 60 minutes at night.
The researchers compared the measurements from the 24-hour period initially of the study with those from the 24-hour period at the top of the 36-week trial period. People's systolic blood pressure fell by 7 to 10 points, depending on the dosage of Zepbound, whose generic name is tirzepatide.
Systolic blood pressure is a very powerful value in measuring blood pressure and could be a sign of probably fatal heart problems.
“Although tirzepatide has been studied as a weight loss drug, the blood pressure reduction in our patients in this study was impressive,” said lead creator James A. de Lemos, MD, professor of medication at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas opinion. “Although it is not known whether the effect on blood pressure was due to the medication or participants' weight loss, the lower blood pressure values observed with tirzepatide were comparable to those observed with many hypertension medications.”
The researchers found that a 24-hour blood pressure test is a greater indicator of heart problems than a single in-office measurement, and that nighttime measurements are particularly informative. When they looked only on the study participants' nighttime readings, blood pressure was still significantly reduced at the top of the 36-week study period.
Nearly half of all adults within the United States have hypertension, and that is true very ordinary in individuals with obesity.
Tirzepatide works by affecting hormones that affect appetite and food intake. In his permit The FDA last yr reported a median 18% reduction in body weight amongst individuals who were chubby or obese who took the drug for nearly a yr and a half.