Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs may lower risk of 42 health conditions, but also pose risks

A number of years in the past, a little-known drug named Ozempic—beforehand used solely to deal with diabetes—emerged as a promising new drug for weight administration.

The Meals and Drug Administration’s approval of Ozempic in 2021 for weight reduction remedy ushered in a brand new period for the category of medicine known as glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, or GLP-1.

Right this moment, GLP-1 medicine, together with Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound, have grow to be family names and key instruments within the combat in opposition to weight problems: 1 in 8 American adults say they’ve used a GLP-1 drug, and forecasts present that by 2030, 1 in 10 People will possible be utilizing these medicines.

Now, analysis from my lab and others means that GLP-1 medicine might assist deal with dozens of different illnesses as effectively, together with cognitive points and dependancy issues. Nevertheless, my colleagues and I additionally discovered beforehand unidentified dangers.

I’m a physician-scientist and I direct a medical epidemiology heart centered on addressing public well being’s most pressing questions. My workforce works to handle essential data gaps about COVID-19, lengthy COVID, influenza, vaccines, effectiveness and dangers of generally used medicine, and extra.

On Jan. 20, 2025, my workforce revealed a examine of greater than 2.4 million people who evaluated the dangers and advantages of GLP-1 medicine throughout 175 attainable well being outcomes. We discovered that these medicine lowered dangers of 42 well being outcomes, almost 1 / 4 of the entire that we analyzed. These embody neurocognitive problems similar to Alzheimer’s illness and dementia, substance use and dependancy problems, clotting problems and a number of other different circumstances.

Sadly, we additionally discovered that GLP-1 medicine include vital unwanted effects and improve the chance of 19 well being circumstances we studied, similar to gastrointestinal points, kidney stones and acute pancreatitis, during which the pancreas turns into infected and dysfunctional.

Cognitive advantages

One of the crucial vital well being advantages we discovered was that the GLP-1 medicine lowered the chance of neurodegenerative problems, together with Alzheimer’s illness and dementia. These findings align with different analysis, together with proof from preclinical research exhibiting that these medicine might cut back irritation within the mind and improve the mind’s potential to type and strengthen connections between its cells, bettering how they convey with each other. These results contribute to mitigating cognitive decline.

Two different key research have proven that sufferers handled with a GLP-1 drug for diabetes had a decrease danger of dementia.

All of those research strongly level to a possible therapeutic use of GLP-1 medicine in remedy of the cognitive decline. Ongoing randomized trials—the gold normal for evaluating new makes use of of medicine—are trying on the results of GLP-1 medicine in early Alzheimer’s illness, with outcomes anticipated later in 2025.

Curbing dependancy and suicidal ideation

GLP-1 medicine have additionally demonstrated potential in lowering dangers of a number of substance use problems similar to these involving alcohol, tobacco, hashish, opioids and stimulants. This can be because of the potential of those medicine to modulate reward pathways, impulse management and inflammatory processes within the mind.

The effectiveness of GLP-1 medicine in curbing addictive habits might clarify their spectacular success in treating weight problems, a continual illness state that many have prompt is certainly a meals dependancy dysfunction.

Our examine demonstrated a lowered danger of suicidal ideas and self-harm amongst individuals utilizing GLP-1 medicine. This discovering is especially vital given earlier reviews of suicidal ideas and self-injury in individuals utilizing GLP-1 medicine. In response to these reviews, the European Medicines Company performed a evaluate of all accessible information and concluded that there was no proof of elevated danger of suicidality in individuals utilizing GLP-1 medicine.

Now at the least two research, together with our personal, present that GLP-1 medicine really cut back the chance of suicidality.

Different advantages

Along with the well-documented results of GLP-1 medicine in lowering dangers of antagonistic cardiovascular and kidney outcomes, our examine reveals a big impact in lowering danger of blood clotting in addition to deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

One puzzling discovering in our examine is the lowered danger of infectious ailments similar to pneumonia and sepsis. Our information enhances one other current examine that got here to an analogous conclusion exhibiting that GLP-1 medicine lowered danger of cardiovascular demise and demise as a result of infectious causes, primarily COVID-19.

That is particularly vital since COVID-19 is thought to be a big cardiovascular danger issue. Whether or not GLP-1 medicine utterly offset the elevated danger of heart problems related to COVID-19 must be completely evaluated.

GLP-1 medicine may additionally be helpful in treating fatty liver illness and circumstances starting from bronchial asthma to continual obstructive pulmonary illness, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, despair and eye problems.

Dangers and challenges

Regardless of their broad therapeutic potential, GLP-1 medicine usually are not with out dangers.

Gastrointestinal points, similar to nausea, vomiting, constipation and gastroesophageal reflux illness are among the many commonest antagonistic results related to GLP-1 medicine.

Our examine additionally recognized different dangers, together with low blood stress, sleep issues, complications, formation of kidney stones, and gall bladder illness and ailments related to the bile ducts. We additionally noticed elevated dangers of drug-induced irritation of the kidneys and pancreas—each critical circumstances that can lead to long-term well being issues. These findings underscore the significance of cautious monitoring in people who find themselves taking GLP-1 medicines.

A big problem with utilizing GLP-1 medicine is the excessive charges at which sufferers cease utilizing them, typically pushed by their exorbitant price or the emergence of antagonistic results. Discontinuation can result in speedy weight acquire.

That is an issue, as a result of weight problems is a continual illness. GLP-1 medicine present efficient remedy however don’t deal with the underlying causes of weight problems and metabolic dysfunction. Because of this, GLP-1 medicine should be taken long run to maintain their effectiveness and stop rebound weight acquire.

As well as, many questions stay concerning the long-term effectiveness and dangers of those medicine in addition to whether or not there are variations between GLP-1 formulations. Addressing these questions is essential to information medical observe.

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