United States: Sales of weight-loss medications, particularly Ozempic and Wegovy, remain steadily on the rise.
However, experts are warning that GLP-1 drugs with the potential to lower the risk of dementia and addiction are also found to be linked with a higher risk of kidney, pancreatic, and gastrointestinal issues.
More about the news
Demand for weight-loss medications, including popular brands like Ozempic and Wegovy, continues to rise.
The research findings from 2019 show that eight percent of Americans are taking or have taken weight-loss medications to oversee diabetes, heart disease, or obesity conditions, scitechdaily.com reported.
The officials recognized these drugs as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs). The drug class consists of both Mounjaro and Zepbound medications.
Several media outlets, alongside patients, also consider GLP-1 medications as “miracle drugs” due to their substantial weight reduction effectiveness.

Drugs have downsides
The outstanding medical effects of these drugs remain evident, yet scientists have little understanding of the multifold impacts on human organ systems.
A team of scientists from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs (VA) St. Louis Health Care System analyzed data from 2 million diabetes patients using GLP-1 medications throughout the study.
The research showed positive effects on brain performance combined with kidney problems and pancreatitis risks alongside other health risks.
According to study’s senior author, Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, a clinical epidemiologist and nephrologist who treats patients at the WashU Medicine-affiliated John J. Cochran Veterans Hospital in St. Louis, “Given the drugs’ newness and skyrocketing popularity, it is important to systematically examine their effects on all body systems — leaving no stone unturned — to understand what they do and what they don’t do,” scitechdaily.com reported.
“Our approach has allowed us to build a comprehensive atlas mapping the associations of GLP-1RA spanning all organ systems,” he added.
“The study’s results provide insights into some known and previously unrecognized benefits and risks of GLP-1RA that may be useful to inform clinical care and guide research agendas,” as experts noted.
What more are the officials stating?
Patients take these pharmaceutical compounds by weekly injections to imitate human gut hormones that control hunger and digestion, thereby extending feelings of fullness.
People seeking weight loss should follow nutritious eating habits while performing physical activities.

According to Al-Aly, the director of the Clinical Epidemiology Center at the VA St., “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.”
Furthermore, he added, “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.”
The treatment benefits of GLP-1RA drugs extend across multiple health conditions, though their effects remain limited at 10-20 percent for most medical outcomes.
The research validated previous studies that demonstrated how these drugs could reduce cardiovascular risks, including heart attacks and strokes.
Al-Aly specified in his study that alongside beneficial medication effects, there are potential adverse side effects involving gastrointestinal complications, which can lead to stomach paralysis among rare cases and more commonly include vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea.
The research brings to light different avenues through which GLP-1RA drugs might harm pancreas and kidney health.
Physicians need to watch for pancreatitis symptoms and monitor kidney status in patients who use GLP-1RA medications, although serious adverse effects appear uncommon in practice.
People may have undetectable kidney disorders until their disease progresses too far to effectively treat.