GLP-1 and arterial inflammation — March 2026

dan_philly said:

SUSTAIN-6 was the first CVOT to show cardiovascular benefit with semaglutide, relevant to cardiovascular risk.

NNT calculation for cardiovascular risk clinical endpoints: NNT = 1/ARR (absolute risk reduction).

From SELECT trial: MACE at 39 months — 6.5% semaglutide vs 8.0% placebo. ARR = 1.5%. NNT = 67 over 3.3 years.

Compare to established therapies:

These NNTs are clinically meaningful and comparable to accepted cardiovascular interventions.

dan_philly said:

SUSTAIN-6 was the first CVOT to show cardiovascular benefit with semaglutide, relevant to cardiovascular risk.

This is exactly what I could not find anywhere else. Adding it to my notes with a link back to this thread.

Adding the clinical framing, because it changes how the question reads.

Dizziness and cardiovascular risk: I was lightheaded for the first 2 weeks. Root cause was a combination of reduced caloric intake and mild dehydration.

Fix: minimum 80-100oz water daily, don't skip meals even if you're not hungry (eat small protein-rich snacks), and stand up slowly from sitting/lying positions. Also check your blood pressure — GLP-1-induced weight loss can make BP meds too strong, requiring dose reduction.

claudia_zurich said:

Dizziness and cardiovascular risk: I was lightheaded for the first 2 weeks.

This is my experience too, for whatever a second data point is worth. Nothing to add that would improve it.

claudia_zurich said:

Dizziness and cardiovascular risk: I was lightheaded for the first 2 weeks.

CRP reduction on cardiovascular risk — this is the lab result that excites me most:

Baseline hsCRP: 7.0 mg/L (high cardiovascular risk)
Month 6 hsCRP: 1.5 mg/L (moderate risk)
Month 12 hsCRP: 0.9 mg/L (low risk)

This level of inflammatory marker reduction is comparable to what you'd see with statin therapy. Combined with the weight loss, my 10-year ASCVD risk score dropped from 14% to 4%. My cardiologist is genuinely impressed.