Highlights
- Large study found tremendous benfits of GLP-1 drugs for treating obesity and diabetes
- Can have potential uses in treating some addiction disorders
- But the risks of pancreatitis and arthritis increases
Breakthrough therapy for diabetes and obesity
One of the largest studies of patients taking GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Maunjaro etc for diabetes and obesity was conducted and it revealed tremendous benefits of these drugs beyond metabolic disease and weight management. Unfortunately, it also revealed some risks of taking these drugs that were unexpected.
The researchers studied the health outcomes of over 200,000 patients on these GLP-1 drugs and compared to a control group of nearly 1.7 million patients on other types of diabetes medications. Beyond diabetes and weight loss, the study revealed, benefits for lowering cardiovascular and kidney diseases. It further found a reduced risk of Alzheimers (12%), psychotic disorders (18%) and addiction disorders (13%). These results demonstrate that the benefits of GLP-1 drugs go far beyond it’s original intended use.
Unexpected additional effects could open doors to treating some addiction disorders
The lead investigator on this study speculated that since GLP-1 drugs act on the brain center for reward and craving, these drugs may find use in treating certain addiction disorders.
Study identified some risks
The news is not all positive though. The study also found that the risk of certain diseases like arthritis and pancreatitis increases.
While no drug is completely free of potentially adverse side effects, overall, GLP-1 drugs are already demonstrating massive benefits to human metabolic health and now the benefits appear to extend well beyond just diabetes and weight control.
Guglielmi, G. Obesity drugs: huge study identifies new health risks. Nature 637, 1034 (2025) https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00173-5
Xie, Y., Choi, T. & Al-Aly, Z. Mapping the effectiveness and risks of GLP-1 receptor agonists. Nat Med 31, 951–962 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03412-w