Just a few years ago, a little-known drug called Ozempic – previously used only to treat diabetes – emerged as a promising recent drug for weight management.
The Food and Drug Administration of the Administrative Agency Approval of Ozempic in 2021 for weight reduction treatment ushered in a brand new era for the category of medication that was called Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonistsor GLP-1.
Today, GLP-1 drugs, including Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound, have turn into household names and key tools within the fight against obesity: 1 in 8 American adults Say they used a GLP-1 drug, and projections show that by 2030, 1 in 10 Americans are more likely to with these medications.
Research from my lab and others now suggests that GLP-1 drugs could also treat dozens of other ailments, including cognitive problems and addiction problems. However, my colleagues and I also found previously unidentified risks.
I’m a Physician Scientist And I lead a clinical epidemiology center that addresses essentially the most pressing public health issues. My team is working to handle critical knowledge gaps about Covid-19, Long Covid, influenza, vaccines, effectiveness and risks of common medicines, and way more.
On January 20, 2025, my team published a study of greater than 2.4 million individuals who evaluated the risks and advantages of GLP-1 drugs over 175 possible health outcomes. We found that these drugs reduced the danger of 42 health outcomes, nearly 1 / 4 of the entire we analyzed. These include neurocognitive disorders similar to Alzheimer's disease and dementia, substance use and addiction disorders, coagulation disorders, and a number of other other medical conditions.
Unfortunately, we also found that GLP-1 drugs carry significant unwanted side effects and increase the danger of 19 health conditions we studied, similar to: B. Gastrointestinal problems, kidney stones and Acute pancreatitisthrough which the pancreas becomes inflamed and dysfunctional.
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Cognitive advantages
One of the important thing health advantages was that the GLP-1 drugs reduced the danger of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and dementia. These results are consistent with other research, including evidence from preclinical studies, showing that these drugs may reduce inflammation within the brain and improve the brain's ability to form and strengthen connections between its cells, thereby improving the way in which how they convey with one another. These effects help reduce cognitive decline.
Two other key studies have shown Patients treated with a GLP-1 drug for diabetes had a lower risk of dementia.
All of those studies strongly suggest a possible therapeutic use of GLP-1 drugs within the treatment of cognitive decline. Ongoing randomized trials—the gold standard for evaluating recent drug uses—are examining the results of GLP-1 drugs in early Alzheimer's disease, with results expected later in 2025.
Curb addiction and suicidal thoughts
GLP-1 medications have also shown potential for reducing the risks of several substance use disorders similar to alcoholPresent tobaccoCannabis, opioids and stimulants. This could also be attributable to the flexibility of those medications to modulate reward pathways, impulse control, and inflammatory processes within the brain.
The effectiveness of GLP-1 drugs in curbing addictive behavior may explain their spectacular success in treating obesity, a chronic disease state that many have suggested is actually a food addiction disorder.
Our study showed a reduced risk of suicidal ideation and self-harm in people using GLP-1 medication. This finding is especially significant Previous reports of suicidal thoughts and self-harm In people using GLP-1 drugs. In response to those reports, the European Medicines Agency conducted a review of all available data and concluded that it existed No evidence of an increased risk of suicide In people using GLP-1 drugs.
Now at the least two studies, including our own, show that GLP-1 drugs actually do Reduce the danger of suicide.
Other advantages
In addition to the well-documented effects of GLP-1 drugs in reducing the risks of undesirable cardiovascular And Kidney resultsOur study shows a major effect on reducing the danger of blood clotting, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
A puzzling finding in our study is the reduced risk of infectious diseases similar to pneumonia and sepsis. Our data complement one other recent study that reached an analogous conclusion cardiovascular death and death from infectious causesespecially Covid-19.
This is especially vital as Covid-19 is taken into account to be significant cardiovascular risk factor. Whether GLP-1 drugs fully offset the increased risk of heart problems related to CoVID-19 must be thoroughly evaluated.
GLP-1 drugs might also be useful in Fatty liver disease treatment and conditions from asthma to chronic obstructive pulmonary diseasesleep apnea, OsteoarthritisDepression and eye disorders.
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Risks and challenges
Despite their broad therapeutic potential, GLP-1 drugs will not be without risks.
Gastrointestinal problems similar to nausea, vomiting, constipation and constipation and gastroesophageal reflux disease are amongst essentially the most common opposed effects related to GLP-1 drugs.
Our study also identified other risks, including low blood pressure, sleep problems, headaches, kidney stone formation, and Gallbladder disease and diseases related to the bile ducts. We also saw an increased risk of drug-induced inflammation of the kidneys and pancreas – each serious conditions that may result in long-term health problems. These results highlight the importance of careful monitoring in people taking GLP-1 drugs.
A big challenge in the usage of GLP-1 drugs is the high rates at which patients stop usingoften driven by their exorbitant costs or the occurrence of opposed effects. Stopping can result in rapid weight gain.
This is an issue because obesity is a chronic disease. GLP-1 drugs provide effective treatment but don’t address the underlying causes of obesity and metabolic dysfunction. As a result, GLP-1 drugs should be taken long-term to take care of their effectiveness and stop rebound weight gain.
In addition, many questions remain concerning the long-term effectiveness and risks of those drugs, in addition to whether there are differences between GLP-1 formulations. Answering these questions is critical to guiding clinical practice.
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