Popular GLP-1 Meds’ Benefits ‘Extend’ Beyond Weight Loss & Diabetes

Popular GLP-1 Meds' Benefits 'Extend' Beyond Weight Loss & Diabetes
Popular GLP-1 Meds' Benefits 'Extend' Beyond Weight Loss & Diabetes Credit | Getty images

United States: Studies show that widely used GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and weight control offer surprising protection against conditions such as substance abuse problems, psychosis, infections, and dementia.

More about the news

Researchers publishing in Nature Medicine on January 20 highlight important risks that come with these medications.

Researchers conducted the first detailed analysis of how weight loss drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound influence patient wellness.

Scientists examined treatment data from 2 million Veterans Health Administration users, focusing specifically on 216,000 patients who received GLP-1 medications.

Data showed that people on GLP-1 drugs experienced a 24 percent lower chance of liver failure and 22 percent fewer cardiac arrests than users of other diabetes treatments.

What more have the experts stated?

Research revealed that GLP-1 medications helped prevent 42 different health problems, including liver failure, and caused lower chances of health complications.

CNN reported that Americans saw their first decrease in obesity rates in more than 10 years following widespread use of these diabetes and weight loss medications.

The benefits of these drugs came with a number of unpleasant consequences. Patients who used GLP-1 medications showed a higher risk for nineteen health problems, mainly affecting their digestive system, causing heartburn, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and paralysis of stomach muscles.

People using GLP-1 had a greater chance of developing arthritis and tendinitis than those who took different diabetes drugs.

Tests found that these drugs helped protect brain health in ways that surprised the researchers. GLP-1 medication users experienced a 12 percent decrease in their chances for dementia and fewer instances of psychosis and schizophrenia.

According to study author Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research and development at the VA St. Louis Health Care System, “It’s hard to make a blanket recommendation because the side effects are real,” US News reported.

“I think people should have a conversation with their practitioners or their doctor or provider and do their own individualized risk-benefit analysis,” the expert added.

The research discovered a reduced risk for serious infections that included sepsis and pneumonia.