Semaglutide medications — including Ozempic and Wegovy — have been shown to reduce the risk of kidney failure and the risk of death among people with kidney disease and type 2 diabetes.

In a trial led by UNSW Sydney between June 2019 and May 2021, researchers found that a small weekly dose of semaglutide lessened the likelihood of “major kidney events” by 24%, according to a press release.

The study, funded by Novo Nordisk and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, included more than 3,500 participants with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease from 28 countries.

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The participants received 1.0 mg per week of semaglutide, which is less than what is typically prescribed for weight loss or diabetes, the release noted. 

The median follow-up was 3.4 years.

“It’s the same chemical compound, but we used a lower dose … we did that deliberately because people with kidney disease tend to be more sensitive to the effects and side effects of drugs,” said the study’s lead author, professor Vlado Perkovic of UNSW Sydney, in the release.

“That’s helpful in terms of being able to perhaps have the drug more widely used than might have otherwise been the case given the current supply limitations.”

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The group of people taking semaglutide were also 18% less likely to experience a heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular events, the study found.

Why does semaglutide have this effect?

Patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease are at a significant risk for kidney failure, cardiovascular events and death, according to Dr. Brett Osborn, a neurologist and longevity expert in Florida.

“The recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine highlights semaglutide’s potential to mitigate these risks,” Osborn, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. 

Dr. Brett Osborn, a neurologist and longevity expert in Florida, noted that patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease are at a significant risk for kidney failure, cardiovascular events and death.  (Dr. Brett Osborn)

Semaglutide works by improving glycemic control, Osborn noted — which is crucial in mitigating diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease). 

“It also lowers inflammation — particularly within the blood vessel lining,” he said. 

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This reduces blood vessel damage and improves blood flow through the kidneys.

“Overall, semaglutide offers substantial renal and cardiovascular protection for patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease,” Osborn said.

“At a base level, semaglutide, through indirect mechanisms, improves vascular health. The better blood flow to your organs — be it your heart, brain or kidneys — the longer you are likely to live.”

Semaglutide works by improving glycemic control, one doctor noted, which is crucial in mitigating diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease).  (Getty Images)

Outside the spectrum of diabetes, Osborn said he believes these medications will have a major impact on human health, comparing them to the advent of antibiotics at the turn of the century.

Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, also said this was a “very important” study.

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“This lifesaving result is likely due to the metabolic effects of the drug, which helps with reducing inflammation, overcoming insulin resistance, and improving insulin function and glucose metabolism at the cellular level,” Siegel told Fox News Digital. 

“This study has broader implications for all patients who have kidney failure.”

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“Improved kidney function means improved heart function, and pressure on the heart from failed kidneys is a major cause of heart attack and death.”

Siegel added, “This study has broader implications for all patients who have kidney failure or are at risk for it.”

Novo Nordisk, the Denmark-based company that makes Ozempic and Wegovy, announced the positive primary results from the trial at the European Renal Association (ERA) Congress in Sweden last week. (LISELOTTE SABROE/Scanpix Denmark/AFP via Getty Images)

Novo Nordisk, the Denmark-based company that makes Ozempic and Wegovy, announced the positive primary results from the trial at the European Renal Association (ERA) Congress in Sweden last week.

“FLOW is the first ever renal outcomes trial with a GLP-1 receptor agonist, and demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in kidney disease progression, cardiovascular death, and all-cause mortality risk with semaglutide 1 mg,” Michael Radin, executive medical director for diabetes at Novo Nordisk, said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital. 

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“This study highlights our drive to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people living with type 2 diabetes and CKD and to deliver innovations to address current unmet medical needs in CKD pending FDA approval.”

Wegovy is an injectable prescription weight loss medicine that has helped people with obesity. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

To leverage semaglutide as a treatment for kidney disease, there is a need to overcome supply shortages and conduct research about combining the medication with other therapies, the researchers stated in the release.

Novo Nordisk will also need to seek regulatory approval for the drug to be used for chronic kidney disease patients.

“The challenge is to get these results into clinical practice, to get the drug used by the people who will benefit from it, who will live longer without dialysis, without heart attacks, without strokes, if they take this drug,” Perkovic said.

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Your dental health could depend on your gender.

Male and female teeth are very different, according to a TikTok posted by Dr. Ellie Phillips, DDS, an oral health educator based in Austin, Texas. 

Phillips’ viral video, which has amassed more than one million likes, explained the difference between men’s and women’s teeth.

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The dentist, who has worked in the industry for more than four decades, shared that women often tell her that they take great care of their teeth.

“‘I always attend dental cleanings,’” she said, quoting the women she treats. 

“‘I floss, I brush. I do everything I’m told to do, and my teeth have cavities, I have gum disease, gum recession, all these problems.’”

She added, “‘And there is my husband or my fiancé or my boyfriend — he doesn’t even clean his teeth half the time and doesn’t have any of these problems.’”

The importance of pH

When Phillips was in dental school in the 1960s, she was “trained to believe” that the pH of all saliva was 7.

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After using a pH meter to test multiple people over the course of many years, however, Phillips discovered that the pH of women’s saliva was frequently 5.5 or 6.

“Acidic saliva in your mouth … can be the very reason that your teeth are weakening, that you are promoting plaque in your mouth, that you’re getting gum disease,” she said in the video. 

“Acidic saliva is really damaging to oral health.”

Phillips suggested that the assumption of a universal saliva pH was based on studies from the 1950s, when only male dental students were surveyed.

“Even when I went to dental school, [it] was 1% women,” she said. “The rest were men.”

Dr. Dominik Nischwitz, a specialist in biological dentistry in Tübingen, Germany, noted that several studies have suggested that female patients can have significantly lower pH values, meaning their mouths are more acidic.

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“Women also have, generally speaking, a lower saliva flow rate than men,” he told Fox News Digital. 

Saliva’s ideal pH rate is between 7 and 7.4, according to Nischwitz.

“If we can help mothers create a healthy mouth for themselves, we can start to truly affect the global epidemic of dental disease.”

“If the pH of saliva constantly drops below 5.5, the tooth enamel gets demineralized, which means it will be more prone to tooth decay,” he warned. 

“If this is combined with a lower flow rate of the saliva, which can lead to a dry mouth, the tooth becomes weaker, because the remineralization or buffering capacity is too slow.”

Dr. Brandon Mack, DDS, a cosmetic dentist who practices in both New York and Florida, agreed in a response sent to Fox News Digital that acidity in the mouth can lead to worsened bacteria and tooth erosion.

Dr. Brandon Mack, DDS, is a cosmetic dentist and founder of Eden Dental Aesthetics in Florida. (Trenton Butler)

“The saliva’s role is to serve as a buffer system that allows us to keep teeth at a certain level that [is] going to promote health and good probiotics inside the plaque biofilm,” he said. 

Mack emphasized the question, “Are there influences that disproportionately affect women who shift their acidic environment to a point where it’s going to be more detrimental to the mouth?”

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Although Mack could not confirm whether there is a difference in salivary pH between men and women, he “won’t deny” the potential for some type of “relative correlation of factors that affect women more than men.”

He said, “The quality of saliva is going to vary from individual to individual, and it’s going to depend on how many minerals — like calcium, phosphate and fluorohydroxyapatite — are in that saliva. We also have to consider the flow rate of the saliva, or how much saliva is present, and any kind of conditions that are going to affect men and women differently.”

What’s the solution?

In Phillips’ TikTok video, she recommends taking a daily dose of xylitol, a natural sugar alcohol, to counteract salivary acidity.

“When you put xylitol, even a tiny 1-gram amount, on the tip of your tongue, you will stimulate a flow of saliva into your mouth,” she said.

This extra saliva has “all the minerals you need,” Phillips said, as well as reparative cells for gum health.

Experts stressed the importance of maintaining a neutral oral environment. (iStock)

The expert recommended ingesting xylitol, such as a Zellie’s dental mint, at the end of a meal and then abstaining from eating or drinking for an hour afterward.

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Mack agreed that xylitol is an “incredible tool,” as it doesn’t have any carbs that get “metabolized by acid-loving bacteria. Xylitol promotes pH buffering when the salivary flow is reduced,” he said. 

Mack recommended other products, such as StellaLife kits and xylitol candy and lozenges.

Patients can also take certain medications to increase salivary flow, he added.

It’s “paramount” for women to be included in research studies, a dental health expert emphasized. (iStock)

In addition to taking xylitol, it is crucial to adhere to a healthy lifestyle and eat nutrient-rich foods, Nischwitz recommended.

“It is true that having a xylitol mint will lead to more saliva flow in the short term and is definitely recommended, but it won’t solve it completely if the lifestyle doesn’t support the oral microbiome,” he told Fox News Digital.

“It’s astounding that the microbiome that develops before the age of 4 contributes to up to 40% of the mouth bacteria that we have as adults.”

“Processed foods are usually low in key minerals or can even deplete the body’s minerals due to chelating agents like phytic acid.”

Key micronutrients that help to remineralize teeth include vitamin D3, vitamin K2, magnesium, phosphorus, boron and essential amino acids, according to Nischwitz.

Using more natural toothpaste and ditching the super-acidic, chemical mouthwashes are other factors to consider, an expert recommended. (iStock)

Using more natural toothpaste and ditching the super-acidic, chemical mouthwashes are other factors to consider, he recommended. 

“Instead of chemical mouthwashes, which harm your oral microbiome and make the saliva super acidic, try coconut oil pulling instead,” Nischwitz advised. 

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In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Phillips reiterated that it is “paramount” for women to be included in research studies.

“Their hormonal fluctuations, menstrual cycles and biological nuances demand far greater attention and accommodation than they currently receive,” she wrote. “I’m thrilled that we’re finally delving into the crucial aspects of women’s oral health as a society.”

The condition of a mother’s oral health during pregnancy has a “direct impact” on her baby’s oral health, which is a “vital yet often neglected conversation,” Phillips said.

Dr. Ellie Phillips, DDS, is an oral health educator and author of “Mouth Care Comes Clean.” “I’m thrilled that we’re finally delving into the crucial aspects of women’s oral health as a society,” she told Fox News Digital.  (Dr. Ellie Phillips)

“It’s astounding that the microbiome that develops before the age of 4 contributes to up to 40% of the mouth bacteria that we have as adults,” she said. 

“If we can help mothers create a healthy mouth for themselves, we can start to truly affect the global epidemic of dental disease that’s upon us.”

More than half of Americans suffer from dental issues that are most likely preventable, according to Phillips.

“This shift requires us to truly evaluate the current dental industry, start asking the right questions and expand the research on gender differences and effective oral care strategies,” she said.

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