ADA: GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Use Beneficial in Adults With Obesity, Autoimmune Disease

MONDAY, June 8, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) use is associated with reduced risks for thromboembolic events, emergency department use, and mortality among adults with obesity and autoimmune diseases (AIDs), according to a study published online June 6 in the Journal of the American Heart Association to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association, held from June 5 to 8 in New Orleans.

Hao Dai, Ph.D., from the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study, which emulated a target trial using 2014 to 2024 electronic health record data to examine the association between GLP-1 RA use and major adverse cardiovascular and thromboembolic event risk among adults with obesity and AID. Participants were matched using time-dependent propensity scores; the cohort included 13,204 GLP-1 RA users and 13,204 nonusers.

The researchers observed associations for GLP-1 RA use with lower risks for stroke/transient ischemic attack, pulmonary embolism, venous thromboembolism, emergency department visits, and mortality (hazard ratios, 0.87, 0.69, 0.83, 0.79, and 0.56, respectively).

“As an obesity medicine physician scientist who regularly cares for patients with complex inflammatory conditions, this study reinforces what many of us have suspected clinically — that the benefits of GLP-1 receptor agonists extend well beyond blood sugar control and weight loss and may fundamentally alter the disease trajectory for some of our highest-risk patients,” Fatima Cody Stanford, M.D., M.P.H., member of the American Heart Association Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Council, said in a statement.

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