
Weight loss jabs, such as Wegovy, have been linked to reduced risk of dementia and seizures – but increased risk of other disorders.
A new study analysed the impact of glucagon-like peptide1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), which are increasingly used to tackle obesity.
Used in drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis and the Veterans Affairs (VA) St Louis Health Care System analysed data from more than two million people with diabetes.
Little research has been carried out on the impact of the drugs on the body’s organ systems.
Compared to usual care, the team found that GLP-1RA use was associated with a reduced risk of substance use and psychotic disorders, seizures and neurocognitive disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
They also found a lower risk of infectious illnesses and several respiratory conditions.
Weight loss jabs – benefits and risks
However, findings showed an increased risk of gastrointestinal disorders, hypotension, syncope, arthritic disorders, nephrolithiasis, interstitial nephritis and drug-induced pancreatitis.
As a result, the study brought attention to both the benefits and risks of GLP-1RAs.
According to the NHS, GLP-1RAs are medicines primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes. They mimic the action of a hormone called GLP-1. Your stomach naturally releases this hormone when you eat food.
The medicines work in different ways. They:
- Help your body to make more insulin (the hormone that controls the amount of sugar in your blood) when needed
- Reduce the amount of sugar (glucose) that your liver makes
- Slow down the digestion of food, so that it takes longer for your body to absorb (take in) the sugar from meals
- Can reduce your appetite.
‘Interestingly, GLP-1RA drugs act on receptors that are expressed in brain areas involved in impulse control, reward and addiction — potentially explaining their effectiveness in curbing appetite and addiction disorders,’ said Al-Aly, the director of the Clinical Epidemiology Center at the VA St Louis Health Care System.
‘These drugs also reduce inflammation in the brain and result in weight loss; both these factors may improve brain health and explain the reduced risk of conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.’
He added: ‘However, the modest effect does not negate the potential value of these drugs, especially for conditions where few effective treatment options exist, for example, dementia.’
Weight loss jabs could be ‘transformative’
Last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said weight loss jabs ‘open the possibility of an end to the obesity pandemic’ – but that risks still need to be considered.
The global health agency said it has concerns that unless health systems prepare properly, the drugs could distort the response to the global obesity crisis, risking leaving people behind and overshadowing other steps to improve health.
The new drugs ‘have the potential to be transformative’, according to the WHO’s chief scientist, Jeremy Farrar, its director of nutrition, Francesco Branca, and his senior adviser, Francesca Celleti, in an opinion piece.
The article is the agency’s clearest comment yet on the potential of weight loss jabs, also known as GLP-1 receptor agonists.
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