Study finds GLP-1s had multiple health benefits
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A study of more than 2 million Veterans Health Administration patient records found GLP-1 drugs lowered the likelihood of dozens of health conditions including Alzheimer's disease but also had some unexpected risks.
Why it matters: The review in Nature Medicine provides some of the most compelling evidence yet that the blockbuster drugs for weight loss have widespread health benefits.
- Researchers compared 175 health outcomes between veterans who took GLP-1s to treat their diabetes from October 2017 through the end of 2023 and those who took more traditional medications.
What they found: Patients using the drugs were found to have reduced risk of neurological issues — including Alzheimer's, substance abuse, psychotic disorders and seizures — compared with patients not on GLP-1s.
- They also appeared to have lower risk for blood clotting disorders, cardiometabolic conditions, infections, and respiratory issues.
Yes, but: The drugs were associated with increased risk for GI disorders, low blood pressure, kidney stones and pancreatitis.
- Among the surprises: GLP-1s were associated with a higher risk for arthritis.
- "We actually expected that ... joints would be happier or feeling less pain and less stress on them because there was less weight to bear," said co-author Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of the research and education service at the VA Saint Louis Health Care System.
- More study is needed, but he speculates the increased risk may be tied to loss of muscle and bone mass.
Reality check: Among the study's limitations is that it was not a controlled trial but relied on real-world data.
- The researchers are planning deeper dives to better understand the apparent GLP-1 connection with Alzheimer's, seizures, blood clotting or infection compared with other diabetes drugs.
