A study of almost 88,000 people over 65 found GLP-1 users had lower rates of liver decompensation and death, but higher rates of osteoporosis and retinopathy.
GLP-1 receptor agonists, a class of medicines widely used to treat diabetes and obesity, may do more than improve blood sugar control and support weight loss. According to research published in the journal Age and Ageing, older adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease who started these drugs had lower rates of serious liver complications and death than those who did not receive them.
The retrospective study, reported via PubMed, looked at medical records from almost 88,000 people aged over 65, with an average age of about 72. Roughly half of the patients were taking GLP-1 medicines, allowing researchers to compare outcomes with a similar group that was not exposed to the treatment. The analysis found a 28% lower risk of hepatic decompensation, a condition in which the liver can no longer carry out its normal functions properly, and a 45% lower risk of death from any cause among users of the drugs.
The findings fit with a growing body of recent liver research. Separate studies in Liver International, Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism, Hepatology and the American Journal of Gastroenterology have also reported that GLP-1-based therapies are linked with fewer major liver events in people with type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. A meta-analysis published in Gut went further, suggesting the drugs may also reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, a common form of liver cancer.
The picture was not entirely straightforward, however. The Age and Ageing study found higher rates of osteoporosis and retinopathy, an eye condition that can damage the retina, among GLP-1 users, while there was no clear reduction in heart attack or stroke. Even so, the results suggest these medicines could have benefits that extend beyond metabolic control, particularly for older patients living with fatty liver disease, though the evidence is observational and does not prove cause and effect.
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