Few drugs in history have gone from initial approval to being a household name faster than the various GLP-1 drugs, including Ozempic and Wegovy. Maybe this isn’t surprising because they are known to be very effective for something that millions of people struggle with everyday. Weight loss.

Many people who are on Ozempic or other similar drugs say that it is nothing short of a miracle because they have been able to lose weight and keep it off when they haven’t been able to with any other program.

Of course, as with any drug, there are also side effects, some of which weren’t fully understood. For example, the GLP-1 drugs increase the risk of pancreatitis by 146%, which is a little scary. There is also an uptick in the risk of arthritis by 11%.

On the other side of the spectrum, however, there seems to be a lot of positive side effects that weren’t fully understood. So, researchers got to work on a massive study that looked at over 215,000 people who had taken this type of drug.

The study lasted for 3.5 years and has recently been published in the journal Nature Medicine. Part of the study also looked at another 1.7 million people who were on other forms of blood sugar-lowering medications.

The study’s lead author, Ziyad Al-Aly works with the Veterans Affairs health system in St. Louis. He said in a statement that was published by the University of Washington:

“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. 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.”

Some of the key findings in the study include:

• 18% reduced risk of psychotic disorder
• 12% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease
• 13% of people with issues with addiction saw improvement

So, while GLP-1’s are best known for their ability to help people to lose weight and to avoid or treat diabetes, the drug also has a lot of potential to help people with other conditions as well. In the statement, Al-Aly talks about the fact that it is very important to keep looking closely at the overall impact of this type of drug, both positive and negative, saying:

“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.”

The study that was published is a major step forward in this goal. It could also be used to help point pharmaceutical companies in the right direction when it comes to making adjustments to the drug to help optimize the positive effects and minimize the negatives.

For now, the data seems to indicate that Ozempic and other similar drugs may offer some very positive results for even more people than previously believed. Of course, discussing it with your doctor is essential.

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