Weight-loss jabs may have hidden benefits for bone health, a new study has suggested.
GLP-1 medications – including Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro – are renowned for their role in suppressing appetite and helping people shed the pounds, but new research has found that the injections may also promote bone formation, leading to better bone health.
Scientists at National Cheng Kung University Hospital in Tainan, Taiwan, compared results from thousands of GLP-1 users and non-GLP-1 users with type two diabetes, whose data is recorded in a global electronic health record database.
Their analysis found those on GLP-1s had small but significant reductions in their 10-year chances of vertebral fractures.
This suggests may help bone strength and mitigate chronic inflammation and insulin resistance, which may also prevent against weak bones.
“Overall, these findings support a potential bone protective role of GLP-1 RAs [receptor agonists] and underscore the need for prospective studies to confirm causality and elucidate underlying mechanisms,” study author Yu Chang and his team group concluded in a research letter.
It is the latest in a string of studies suggesting benefits of weight loss jabs beyond slimming your waistline. Scientists found the drugs could help a particular group of breast cancer patients whose illness is fuelled by the hormone estrone.
Other research found using weight loss drugs could cut sick time in half. A trial carried out by Oviva, who run a weight-loss app, studied 700 NHS patients that use jabs such as Wegovy and found that over six months, a patient’s average time off sick had halved from 2.41 days to 1.18 days per month.
Oviva also found that the number of patients with frequent visits to their GP or health centre dropped from 24.8 per cent to 9.3 per cent. The number of jab-takers who had no visits to any NHS professional rose by 34 per cent. Meanwhile, the number of participants who recently had sick leave of more than five days fell from 18.9 per cent to 8.8 per cent.
