Since GLP-1 weight-loss medications exploded in popularity a few years ago, Chitra Ganta, MD, a geriatrician at the Cleveland Clinic, has seen a flood of interest from her patients.<\/p>\n
She had already witnessed the positive effect of these medications on diabetes management in the years prior to their approval for weight loss and was excited to be able to offer them to her patients who have struggled for years with obesity.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce the GLP-1s came out, they truly helped so many patients with metabolic disorders, especially diabetes and obesity, become healthier and improved the quality of their lives,\u201d Ganta says. \u201cPeople come to you looking for help. It\u2019s given me a lot more satisfaction as a physician to be able to offer them hope through these medications.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is significant, as the obesity epidemic has continued to rise. Nearly 40% of adults age 60 and older qualified as obese in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>. Obesity and excess fat can have serious health effects across the lifespan, but particularly as people age.\u00a0<\/p>\n Obesity is associated with increased risk<\/a> for cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, respiratory problems, gastrointestinal disorders, endocrine disorders, and several types of cancers. It can also restrict a person\u2019s activity and mobility, which in turn can exacerbate problems that tend to diminish health and quality of life in older adults \u2014 problems such as social isolation, depression, and muscle loss, known as sarcopenia<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The GLP-1 medications\u2019 effects may go beyond diabetes and obesity treatment. Emerging data suggest that they may improve health across a range of diseases, including heart disease<\/a>, addiction<\/a>, some kinds of cancers<\/a>, and dementia<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ganta says she considers her patients\u2019 specific health profiles before prescribing GLP-1s, especially with older adults who have frailty, dementia, or another geriatric syndrome.<\/p>\n \u201cIn older adults there is an association between weight loss and all-cause mortality, especially in men who lose more than 10% of body weight,\u201d Ganta says. \u201cSo with patients 65 and older, I am more cautious with the medication. I assess the appropriateness of the medication carefully and monitor closely when [these patients] are on a GLP-1 agonist.\u201d<\/p>\n The caution is warranted, according to John Batsis, MD, an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, particularly because of the lack of clinical data on the specific impact of GLP-1 medications on older adults.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have data to be able to back up what we\u2019re doing clinically,\u201d Batsis says. \u201cAs clinicians, we like solid evidence-based [interventions].\u201d<\/p>\n Working holistically<\/p>\n GLP-1 agonists, which are more commonly known by popular brand names, Ozempic and Wegovy, are injectable medications that mimic glucagon-like peptide-1, a natural hormone secreted in response to food intake that slows digestion and gives the brain satiety signals. There are also GLP-1 receptors in the pancreas, heart, kidneys, and lungs.<\/p>\n The emerging data on the broad effects of GLP-1 medications may support a more holistic approach to treating diseases that tend to exacerbate with age.<\/p>\n A single cause for dementia, for example, which could be targeted for prevention and treatment, has long eluded researchers. More recent studies have reported that complex factors, such as infection<\/a>, environmental exposures<\/a>, diabetes and metabolic disorders<\/a>, and genetics<\/a>, may all contribute to dementia risk.<\/p>\n With their cross-biological-system effects, GLP-1s may prove helpful in reducing the impact of some of these factors.<\/p>\n One literature review published in JAMA<\/a> in April 2025 by a group of Irish researchers stated that \u201cGLP-1 drugs<\/a> are known to reduce inflammation, improve insulin signaling, and promote neurogenesis, all of which could protect against cognitive decline.\u201d<\/p>\n These potential benefits could also have an effect on cancer outcomes.<\/p>\n A group of researchers, including oncologists and data scientists, from the University of Florida and Indiana University hypothesized that GLP-1s hold promise in oncology \u201cdue to their ability to lower glucose, adiposity, insulin resistance, and systemic inflammation \u2014 factors associated with cancer progression,\u201d according to a July 2025 paper<\/a> published in JAMA.<\/p>\n The researchers analyzed thousands of electronic medical records of older adults with both diabetes and cancer and found that those who were taking GLP-1s had lower all-cause mortality than did those who were taking another type of diabetes medication, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4i). There was no difference when GLP-1s were compared with a third class of diabetes medications known as sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i).<\/p>\n