GLP-1 medications already do double duty as diabetes and obesity treatment. There may be much more to come.<\/p>\n
From heart health to cancer protection, research keeps uncovering potential benefits of the blockbuster drugs. The most recent discovery suggests a GLP-1 medication can reduce asthma attacks.<\/p>\n
There are also intriguing questions about whether GLP-1s could be used to help people live longer or one day be prescribed for preventive use \u2014 even in those who don\u2019t have health problems.<\/p>\n
Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist and professor at the Yale School of Medicine, calls GLP-1 drugs \u201cgenerational breakthrough medications\u201d with \u201cprofound benefits\u201d beyond weight loss and diabetes \u2014 everything from lowering cardiovascular risk to helping patients who have sleep apnea or chronic kidney disease.<\/p>\n
Krumholz says he\u2019s so enthusiastic about the drugs that he\u2019s declined to be a consultant for the pharmaceutical companies that make them to avoid creating the impression it\u2019s the reason why he\u2019s so positive about the medications.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re still just beginning to understand how they can be used,\u201d Krumholz, director of the Yale New Haven Hospital Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, tells TODAY.com.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach (trial) is a marvelous and remarkable finding that\u2019s positive, like it\u2019s this winning streak that just continues. \u2026 The weight loss is not fully explaining what\u2019s going on. The benefits of these GLP-1s extend beyond the weight loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sky is the limit with these medications,\u201d said NBC News medical contributor Dr. Natalie Azar on TODAY<\/a>. \u201cPeople are very, very optimistic.\u201d<\/p>\n GLP-1 drugs are making many people healthier, particularly those who have metabolic disorders, says Dr. Nicolas Musi, director of the Diabetes and Aging Center at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. He has received a grant for an upcoming study from Eli Lilly, the maker of GLP-1 drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro.<\/p>\n The doctor calls GLP-1 benefits for fatty liver disease, sleep apnea, arthritis and inflammation \u201cvery exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n He and his team are looking into whether GLP-1s can slow biological aging.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s good potential because overweight and obesity are linked with aging, meaning it can reduce lifespan and health span, which is the time in which we\u2019re healthy,\u201d Musi tells TODAY.com.<\/p>\n \u201cThe real question is: In healthy people who don\u2019t have any of these diseases, will it be helpful to them? And that we don\u2019t know. It\u2019s very premature.\u201d<\/p>\n He points out low-dose aspirin was once routinely recommended to help prevent the first heart attack or stroke, but the guidance changed<\/a> as evidence showed it wasn\u2019t beneficial for most healthy adults. \u201cWe learned the hard way that we need evidence and not just assume things,\u201d Musi says.<\/p>\n Why GLP-1s Impact So Many Systems in the Body<\/p>\n GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1<\/a>, a hormone that\u2019s naturally produced by the small intestine after a meal and mimicked by the drugs. It triggers the pancreas to release insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar, according to the National Library of Medicine<\/a>. It also slows down stomach emptying and signals fullness to the brain.<\/p>\n GLP-1 medications improve metabolic abnormalities that happen in patients who are overweight or have obesity, leading to a \u201cdownstream effect\u201d on obesity-related health problems, Musi says.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s more. Receptors for GLP-1 are found most everywhere in the body, meaning the hormone is active in many different organs and organ systems.<\/p>\n The brain has the highest density and diversity of these receptors, but they\u2019re also found in the pancreas, GI tract, heart, vasculature, kidneys, lungs and the thyroid, Krumholz says.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a very key substance in our body that helps regulate so many different things, and in a favorable way,\u201d he notes. \u201cWe\u2019re still trying to understand exactly how it works.\u201d<\/p>\n GLP-1 has so many beneficial impacts because it probably targets inflammation, Azar said on TODAY<\/a>. She\u2019s a rheumatologist who sees patients with chronic inflammatory diseases.<\/p>\n \u201cNot until some of my patients have gotten on some of these (GLP-1) medicines was I finally able to see a reduction in their systemic inflammation,\u201d Azar said. It made her realize GLP-1s would have applications \u201cfar beyond\u201d weight loss and diabetes, she added.<\/p>\n Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical giant that makes Ozempic and Wegovy, is continuing to invest in\u00a0research that\u202f\u201cdeepens\u00a0our understanding of the potential\u202ffor\u202four medicines\u202ffor\u00a0appropriate patients\u202facross\u202fa\u202fdiverse\u202fset of\u202fcomplications,\u201d a spokesperson tells TODAY.com.<\/p>\n Eli Lilly, the maker of Zepbound and Mounjaro, didn\u2019t reply to a request for comment.<\/p>\n Here are GLP-1 benefits getting attention. Some have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and others show promise but are still being studied.<\/p>\n Heart<\/p>\n Krumholz calls the GLP-1 class of medications a \u201cheart drug.\u201d<\/p>\n The FDA has approved Mounjaro to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events, including heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death, in adults with Type 2 diabetes, Eli Lilly announced on Aug. 28<\/a>. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people with this condition, the company noted.<\/p>\n Wegovy is already FDA-approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke<\/a> in adults with heart disease and excess weight. Ozempic has a similar approval<\/a> in patients with Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.<\/p>\n GLP-1s reduce obesity and insulin resistance<\/a>, both known risk factors in heart disease.<\/p>\n But there are more promising benefits. Krumholz co-authored a paper<\/a> that found tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound and Mounjaro, lowered systolic blood pressure by almost seven points compared to a placebo in people with obesity or overweight. Current blood pressure medications rarely provide that much benefit, he says.<\/p>\n Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, reduced high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) \u2014 a marker of cardiovascular inflammation \u2014 even in people who didn\u2019t lose weight, a study<\/a> found.<\/p>\n GLP-1s also appear to make blood vessels healthier<\/a>, Krumholz notes. He wonders whether researchers should test GLP-1 microdosing<\/a> \u2014 taking a much lower dose than what\u2019s recommended \u2014 in the context of boosting cardiometabolic health, even in people who aren\u2019t battling obesity.<\/p>\n Sleep Apnea<\/p>\n Zepbound is the first FDA-approved medication for obstructive sleep apnea<\/a>, a condition where the upper airway collapses during sleep, interrupting breathing. It\u2019s more common in people who are overweight or have obesity. If untreated, the disorder can lead to sleep deprivation and complications<\/a>, such as high blood pressure and heart problems, researchers warn.<\/p>\n By reducing weight, Zepbound also improves obstructive sleep apnea, the FDA notes.<\/p>\n GLP-1s \u201csignificantly reduce\u201d the severity of the disorder, studies<\/a> have found.<\/p>\n Kidney Disease<\/p>\n Ozempic is FDA-approved<\/a> to reduce the risk of worsening kidney disease, kidney failure and death due to cardiovascular disease in adults with Type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.<\/p>\n GLP-1s \u201cfavorably influence\u201d risk factors for kidney disease, such as high blood sugar, high blood pressure and excess weight, studies<\/a> have found.<\/p>\n They may also have a \u201cdirect effect on helping the kidneys stay healthy,\u201d perhaps by lowering inflammation in the organs or removing extra sodium from the body, but more research is needed, the National Kidney Foundation notes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fatty Liver<\/p>\n Wegovy is FDA-approved<\/a> to treat metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in adults with moderate-to-advanced fibrosis, or excessive scar tissue in the liver.<\/p>\n MASH, a severe form of fatty liver disease, happens when fat buildup in the liver causes inflammation and scarring, the FDA notes. Risk factors include obesity and Type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n The condition is \u201cvery common and very problematic,\u201d so improvement with GLP-1 drugs is \u201cvery exciting,\u201d Musi says.<\/p>\n Cancer<\/p>\n GLP-1 use was associated with a 41% lower risk of developing obesity-related cancers \u2014 such as endometrial, breast, bowel, kidney, pancreatic, thyroid, ovarian, esophageal, gastric, liver and gallbladder \u2014 in non-diabetic obese patients who took the drugs to lose weight, a 2026 study<\/a> found.<\/p>\n Cancer risk reduction should not yet be a \u201cstand-alone reason\u201d to prescribe GLP-1s, but the drugs \u201cdeserve serious investigation as cancer prevention agents,\u201d the authors said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Women with excess weight who used GLP-1s were about 30% less likely to develop breast cancer than those who didn\u2019t take the drugs, according to separate research<\/a> presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.<\/p>\n The results suggest \u201cit\u2019s worth investigating these weight-loss drugs as potential cancer prevention tools,\u201d Dr. Elizabeth McDonald, the first author and a professor of radiology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201c(GLP-1s) do affect many different targets and pathways associated with cancer development, so we\u2019re eager to study them in this context.\u201d<\/p>\n Could a woman who is not obese might one day have a GLP-1 drug prescribed because she has a higher risk of breast cancer?<\/p>\n \u201cWe should at least be testing that hypothesis, and that might be where a microdosing approach comes in for people at risk,\u201d Krumholz says.<\/p>\n Evidence suggests GLP-1 drugs have the potential to lower the risk for gastrointestinal cancers, \u201ceven in the absence of obesity,\u201d studies<\/a> have found.<\/p>\n Asthma and COPD<\/p>\n People with airways diseases who took GLP-1s appeared to have fewer asthma attacks and fewer flare-ups of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than patients with similar issues who were prescribed other diabetes medicines, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress on Sept. 8.<\/p>\n \u201cThe effect was strongest with semaglutide,\u201d said lead author Chloe Bloom, clinical associate professor in respiratory epidemiology at the National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, UK, in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially in people with asthma, where use of semaglutide appears to be associated with nearly 40% reduction in asthma attacks. Semaglutide also led to a 20% reduction in COPD flare-ups.\u201d<\/p>\n The findings are based on data from thousands of electronic medical records of patients who started taking any type of GLP-1 treatment or sulfonylureas \u2014 another type of diabetes medication \u2014 and need confirmation in clinical trials, she noted.<\/p>\n People with asthma or COPD shouldn\u2019t start taking GLP-1s specifically for their lung condition \u201coutside current prescribing guidance,\u201d Bloom cautioned.<\/p>\n Addiction<\/p>\n Semaglutide may help curb alcohol addiction, studies<\/a> have found, with some patients who take the drug for weight loss also reporting a sudden lack of interest in alcohol<\/a>.<\/p>\n Beyond alcohol, use of GLP-1s was also \u201cconsistently associated\u201d with reduced risks of developing substance use disorders involving opioids, stimulants and other substances, a study<\/a> that involved U.S. veterans with Type 2 diabetes found.<\/p>\n The medications may reduce cravings for drugs and alcohol in a similar way they diminish food cravings \u2014 they seem to quiet the preoccupation with needing a substance, experts told NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just appetite and satiety \u2014 our own reward system seems to be tied up in this,\u201d Krumholz explains.<\/p>\n Fertility<\/p>\n GLP-1s themselves don\u2019t boost fertility, but could put a woman\u2019s body into a more optimal state for conception before she tries to get pregnant, experts previously told TODAY.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n For example, the drugs can have beneficial effects<\/a> on polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (previously known as PCOS), a common cause of infertility in women, Musi says.<\/p>\n GLP-1s are a \u201cpromising treatment to consider\u201d for the condition, leading to an emerging off-label use of the drugs, researchers noted<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want the ovary to live in a healthy body, meaning healthy blood sugar, healthy blood pressure. The environment needs to be optimal to throw out a healthy egg,\u201d said Dr. Rekha Kumar, endocrinologist at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, on TODAY<\/a>. She\u2019s the senior medical adviser for Found Health, a digital health platform that provides access to GLP-1 drugs.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople who have PCOS or Type 2 diabetes \u2026 the body environment isn\u2019t optimal for the ovary. So using GLP-1s can treat insulin resistance, abnormal blood sugar, reduce inflammatory body fat, and then the ovary works better.\u201d<\/p>\n The drugs can be used in the months leading up to get a woman to a healthier place in order to be pregnant, but should be stopped two months prior to trying to conceive, she said.<\/p>\n Longevity<\/p>\n When people ask Krumholz if the GLP-1 class of drugs is a \u201cfountain of youth,\u201d he says it seems to fit the definition.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s about reducing risk, if that\u2019s what a fountain of youth is \u2014 I mean, it sort of is helping you live longer and better. I guess you\u2019d have to say it is,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n \u201cThis thing somehow has such wide-ranging health benefits that it does seem to be turning back the clock in some ways.\u201d<\/p>\n GLP-1s may help improve health span and longevity by tackling underlying metabolic abnormalities, Musi says.<\/p>\n But there is currently no real evidence \u2014 even from animal studies \u2014 indicating these drugs are going to extend longevity in people without those health problems, so research is underway to provide more answers, he adds.<\/p>\n Musi does not recommend GLP-1s for healthy people at this point. \u201cI know there\u2019s a lot of excitement, but it\u2019s definitely premature,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Are GLP-1s Too Good to Be True?<\/p>\n Any intervention has risks, Musi cautions. Krumholz says he\u2019s always worried about a harmful side effect being discovered down the road with any drug and urges continued vigilance when it comes to GLP-1s.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not without a healthy concern that we need to continue to monitor, see what\u2019s going on,\u201d Krumholz notes. \u201cOur excitement should always be in some ways accompanied by realistic expectation that there could be something that we don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n But he\u2019s more confident about this class of drugs because it\u2019s already been used for 20 years<\/a>. Millions of Americans are currently on GLP-1s \u2014 11% of U.S. adults currently use them for weight loss alone, according to Gallup<\/a>.<\/p>\n The most common side effects of GLP-1 drugs are gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation and vomiting. More serious complications include possible thyroid tumors, including cancer; pancreatitis and gallbladder problems.<\/p>\n There are also concerns about muscle loss<\/a>, a very small risk for vision loss<\/a>; and the impact on mental health, with some patients reporting they have less pleasure and excitement in life while on the drugs, known as \u201cOzempic personality.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Krumholz believes considerable resources should be devoted to studying GLP-1 drugs, their safety profiles and their benefits.<\/p>\n In contrast with irrational exuberance, a phrase that refers to hype overriding reality, \u201cI think this is rational exuberance,\u201d Krumholz says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GLP-1 medications already do double duty as diabetes and obesity treatment. 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