Should I be worried about my heart rate going up? — my results so far

MikeFit_NJ said:

Prescribed on cardiovascular grounds rather than for weight, and almost everything written for patients assumes the opposite.

Metabolic syndrome resolution on cardiovascular risk: I went from meeting 5 of 5 diagnostic criteria to meeting ZERO after 13 months of treatment.

The 5 criteria (and my journey):

1. Waist circumference: 52" → 36" ✅ Resolved
2. Triglycerides: 230 → 115 ✅ Resolved
3. HDL: 36 → 52 ✅ Resolved
4. Blood pressure: 140/92 → 118/72 ✅ Resolved
5. Fasting glucose: 125 → 88 ✅ Resolved

Metabolic syndrome reversal is, in my view, the most medically significant outcome of GLP-1 therapy.

labquiet_amy said:

Metabolic syndrome resolution on cardiovascular risk: I went from meeting 5 of 5 diagnostic criteria to meeting ZERO after 13 months of treatment.

Anti-inflammatory mechanisms of GLP-1 agonists and cardiovascular risk: beyond weight loss, GLP-1R activation directly suppresses NF-κB signaling, reduces NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and decreases monocyte/macrophage adhesion to endothelium[1].

Clinical correlates: hsCRP reduction of 30-60% (consistently seen across trials), reduced carotid intima-media thickness, and decreased coronary plaque inflammation on PET imaging.

These anti-inflammatory effects likely contribute to the cardiovascular benefit seen in SELECT — and may explain benefits beyond what weight loss alone would predict.

MikeFit_NJ said:

Prescribed on cardiovascular grounds rather than for weight, and almost everything written for patients assumes the opposite.

Second this. Nothing to add that would improve it.

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

6 month update on cardiovascular risk: down 54 lbs, off blood pressure meds, A1C normalized. Genuinely life-changing.