Drugs like Ozempic and Wigovy, called GLP-1 agonists, offer more benefits than risks when taken for their approved uses, according to a comprehensive analysis of their effects on 175 conditions. However, the same may not be true for people who are taking the drug for other purposes.

“In this new area of ​​GLP-1, we wanted to really map the benefits and risks for all the conditions that we thought were relevant,” he says. Jiyad Al Ali at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

These drugs are best known for helping control type 2 diabetes and treating obesity. They mimic the hormone GLP-1 in the body, which lowers blood sugar levels and keeps you feeling full for longer.

Dozens of studies suggest that GLP-1 agonists may also reduce the risk of many other conditions, from heart disease to dementia to substance use disorders. These studies have involved hundreds or thousands of people and have focused on one or a few symptoms at a time, but now that millions of people are using the drug, they are much more This means that less frequent effects can be investigated, Al Ali said.

To get a more comprehensive picture, he and his colleagues examined the health records of more than 200,000 diabetic patients who took GLP-1 agonists over a four-year period in addition to standard treatment. They also looked at 1.2 million people with diabetes who received only standard treatment over the same time period and assessed both groups' risk of developing 175 different health conditions.

The research team found that people who took GLP-1 agonists had a lower risk of 42 diseases. For example, the risk of heart attack was reduced by 9% and the risk of dementia was reduced by 8%. The probability that this group would suffer from suicidal ideation or substance use disorders such as alcohol or opioid addiction was also approximately decreased by 1/10. .

However, there were also downsides for people taking GLP-1 drugs. They were more likely to experience known side effects, such as nausea and vomiting, as well as previously undescribed side effects. These include a 15% higher risk of kidney stones and more than double the risk of pancreatic inflammation or drug-induced pancreatitis. In total, 19 conditions were at increased risk, but taking GLP-1 drugs had no significant effect on risk levels for most of the conditions evaluated, including bronchitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Ta.

The fact that these drugs affect such a wide range of symptoms remains surprising, but it is unclear exactly why they have this effect. “They're reducing obesity, which is the root of all disease. If you treat obesity, the heart, kidneys, brain, and everywhere else will benefit later,” Al-Aly said. They also reduce inflammation, which commonly damages organs, and appear to target parts of the brain associated with addiction, he says.

One problem with this analysis is that the research team did not report the actual number of people affected by each condition, making the results difficult to interpret. Daniel Drucker from the University of Toronto and has worked with obesity drug companies. Reducing the risk of common conditions such as heart attacks and dementia is probably worth taking seriously, but the association with rare conditions like pancreatitis is so small that the risk is low for most people. He says it's unlikely. Al-Aly said the research team plans to publish specific numbers of cases in future studies.

Overall, this study provides reassurance that the benefits of GLP-1 agonists outweigh the risks, at least for patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity. “There are no red flags with this group,” he says. stefan trapp He is a professor at University College London and has worked with obesity drug companies.

However, the situation may be different for people who do not have these conditions, such as people who are not obese and buy drugs to lose weight. “I don't know if the benefits outweigh the risks,” Drucker said.