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A landmark study that found the blockbuster obesity drug Wegovy reduces the chance of heart problems adds urgency to a basic question in medicine: what exactly is the relationship between weight and health?

On its face, the result that Wegovy cut the risk of major cardiovascular complications by 20% lends credence to arguments by drugmakers, including Wegovy manufacturer Novo Nordisk, that obesity is a disease and weight loss makes people healthier.

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But researchers and doctors cautioned that the results don’t prove obesity treatments improve heart health solely by helping people lose weight. It’s likely that weight loss is one cause, they said, but there could be other key mechanisms at play independent from Wegovy’s effect on body weight.

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