Friday, April 24, 2026 – (MedPage Today) — Cardiovascular protection with GLP-1 receptor agonists may benefit patients undergoing certain transcatheter procedures, according to two observational studies.
When used as an adjunct to transcatheter aortic valve replacement…

Friday, April 24, 2026 – The new generation of weight loss medicines does an unprecedented job of keeping off the pounds — if people stay on the drugs. Yet numerous studies suggest most of those who start taking GLP-1 drugs quit …

Friday, April 24, 2026 – Teddi Mellencamp says her doctor denied her request for GLP-1s after steroid weight gain during her stage 4 melanoma treatment in a podcast discussion.

Friday, April 24, 2026 – GLP-1 drugs containing tirzepatide significantly reduce cardiovascular risks in people with serious heart conditions. Indranil MUKHERJEE / AFP via Getty Images

GLP-1 weight loss medications containing tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) can reduce heart-related health risks for people with serious heart conditions, according to new research.

Experts say the heart health benefits are produced by the drugs’ ability to help people lose weight and control blood sugar levels.

People using these medications should also maintain a healthy lifestyle, including daily exercise and a balanced diet, to maintain overall health.

Weight loss medications containing the active ingredient tirzepatide significantly reduce cardiovascular risks in people with serious heart conditions, according to new research.

The results of two studies indicate that GLP-1 drugs containing tirzepatide (i.e., Mounjaro, Zepbound) may lower heart-related risks for people undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and those with obesity undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

The researchers presented their findings at the SCAI 2026 Scientific Sessions & CAIC-ACCI Summit in Montreal from April 23–25. The two studies have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Tirzepatide medications are usually prescribed to help treat type 2 diabetes.

According to a news release for the two studies, tirzepatide’s ability to manage blood sugar levels and promote weight loss delivers “meaningful cardiovascular benefits.” While prior research has established these benefits, their impacts on patients undergoing interventional heart procedures have not yet been extensively evaluated.

Notably, the researchers found a 62% lower risk of death among participants receiving tirzepatide who underwent a PCI procedure.

“GLP-1 agonists represent an important evolution in cardiometabolic care,” said SCAI President Srihari Naidu, MD, an interventional cardiologist, in the news release.

“Clinicians already recognize the benefits of glycemic control and weight reduction, but we are now beginning to understand how these therapies can improve outcomes in patients undergoing transcatheter cardiovascular interventions.”

Experts not involved in the new studies say the research supports earlier studies on the cardiovascular benefits of weight loss drugs.

“These findings are consistent with what we are seeing broadly that medications like tirzepatide are not just weight loss drugs but have meaningful cardiometabolic benefits,” said Kevin Shah, MD, a cardiologist and the program director of Heart Failure Outreach at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at the Long Beach Medical Center. “We do need prospective studies to validate the findings from these analyses.”

Tirzepatide lowers stroke, heart attack risk

In the first study, researchers from John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, IL, sifted through the TriNetX database.

They identified adult participants with type 2 diabetes who received GLP-1 drugs containing tirzepatide or older medications with the active ingredient dulaglutide at the time of their PCI procedure.

The researchers did not compare tirzepatide drugs with medications that contain the active ingredient semaglutide, such as Ozempic and Wegovy.

In all, the researchers examined the medical records of 1,281 study participants. One month after PCI, they reported that the participants who used tirzepatide drugs experienced lower rates of major adverse cardiovascular events, such as:

acute myocardial infarction

heart failure

ventricular arrhythmias

They noted there was no difference in rates of stroke among participants using tirzepatide drugs and those using dulaglutide medications.

One year after PCI, researchers observed reductions in MACE, myocardial infarction, and heart failure exacerbation, remaining consistent after one year. There were also further reductions in mortality, stroke, and cardiac arrest at one year.

“The study adds on additional data to what we’ve already previously known about GLP-1 containing agents: these drugs hope to reduce risk for cardiovascular complications from obesity,” said Yu-Ming Ni, MD, a cardiologist and lipidologist at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. Ni wasn’t involved in the study.

“This patient population in this study is automatically higher risk because they need an intervention for their conditions,” Ni told Healthline. “Consequently, seeing a reduction in risk of cardiovascular events is promising, albeit not surprising.”

Tirzepatide lowers risk of major cardiovascular events

In a second study, researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Houston, TX, used the TriNetX database to identify adults with obesity who underwent TAVR from January 2020 to January 2025.

They grouped the participants based on whether or not they were prescribed tirzepatide medications.

According to a news release, participants who did not receive tirzepatide “experienced worse outcomes over time, with lower event-free survival.”

They said the participants who didn’t take tirzepatide also faced a 54% higher risk of hospitalization for acute heart failure.

They added that patients who didn’t take tirzepatide experienced major adverse cardiovascular events 44% more frequently.

Researchers, however, noted that they observed no significant differences between groups in rates of ischemic stroke, acute myocardial infarction, and acute kidney injury. 

Cheng-Han Chen, MD, an interventional cardiologist and the medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA, said this new research provides valuable information for medical professionals. Chen wasn’t involved in the studies.

“These results add to our rapidly growing evidence of the beneficial effects of GLP-1 agonists across a broad range of cardiometabolic conditions,” he told Healthline.

However, Jackie DesJardin, MD, a cardiologist and an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco’s Division of Cardiology, cautioned that there may be more to these results than simply the medications. DesJardin wasn’t involved in the studies.

“The dramatic reductions seen here, more than 50% lower heart attack risk within just one month, are simply too large to be explained by the drug alone,” she told Healthline.

“Tirzepatide is new and expensive, and the patients who receive it tend to be more affluent and better connected to care. Despite the author’s best attempts to adjust for these factors, these socioeconomic differences could easily be driving some of the differences in outcomes.”

Heart health benefits of GLP-1 drugs

Recent research has shown that weight loss medications that contain tirzepatide or semaglutide have numerous health benefits.

An August 2025 study reported that both types of GLP-1 drugs can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in people with a common type of heart failure.

A February 2026 study stated that the pill version of the semaglutide drug Wegovy can help lower the heart failure risk for people with type 2 diabetes.

Experts say the heart health benefits from GLP-1 drugs are derived from the medications’ ability to help people lose weight and manage blood sugar levels, among other factors.

“GLP1 agents such as semaglutide and tirzepatide promote weight loss, reduce insulin resistance, and reduce liver fat,” said Ni. “All of these biological improvements have been shown to [reduce] the risk for heart disease.”

“Improperly controlled diabetes can hurt the heart in many ways,” said Chen. “Excess blood sugar increases inflammation in the blood vessel walls, leading to plaque buildup, which can cause heart attacks and heart muscle damage. The excess blood sugar can also lead to dysfunction of the heart muscle directly and cause it to become stiffer and pump blood less efficiently.”

“Tirzepatide works by mimicking two natural gut hormones that are released after eating, leading to more weight loss and better control of the major drivers of cardiovascular disease: blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol,” added DesJardin.

“There is also emerging evidence that these medications may have direct effects on the heart and blood vessels, reducing inflammation, helping blood vessels relax, protecting heart muscle cells, and slowing plaque buildup in arteries.”

What to know about GLP-1 weight loss drugs

Experts say it’s important for people taking tirzepatide and semaglutide drugs to realize that these medications simply suppress a person’s appetite.

They note that weight loss and weight management are achieved by adopting a healthy diet and incorporating a daily exercise routine, along with using the drugs.

“People taking these medications should remember to maintain a healthy lifestyle, including getting regular physical activity, eating a heart-healthy diet, and avoiding tobacco and alcohol,” Chen said.

“[GLP-1 drugs] are effective, but these medications work best as part of a broader plan of lifestyle changes,” Shah told Healthline. “Patients should be monitored closely for side effects and determine long-term goals on this medication class.”

Ni said that weight loss medications are meant to be a short-term solution while lifestyle habits produce long-term results.

“I advise patients to use these medications in conjunction with a broader lifestyle change goal,” he said.  

“Even if my patients are using this for diabetes or cardiovascular prevention, it still is meaningful to modify diet, physical activity, exercise, sleep patterns, and other lifestyle measures to improve overall health. I find my patients that are successful at changing the way they live to be healthier can get off these medications easier down the road and not regain the weight.”

Thursday, April 23, 2026 – Friday, April 24 – (MedPage Today) — Welcome to Culture Clinic, MedPage Today’s collaboration with Northwell Health to offer a healthcare professional’s take on the latest viral medical topics.
Many patients taking glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists…

Thursday, April 23, 2026 – Friday, April 24 – An outpatient procedure may offer a way for the estimated 70% of people who discontinue popular weight-loss drugs to avoid regaining the pounds they shed, according to a study presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2026.

Thursday, April 23, 2026 – Friday. April 24 – Bagsværd, Denmark, – Novo Nordisk today announced positive topline results from PIONEER TEENS, a phase 3a trial evaluating oral semaglutide for type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents aged 10–17 years with type 2…

Thursday, April 23, 2026 – Thursday, April 23 – Roche and Zealand Pharma announced last month that their amylin analog petrelintide elicited a 9% placebo-controlled weight reduction at 42 weeks—falling far below analyst and investor expectations.

Thursday, April 23, 2026 – Thursday, April 23 – A new minimally invasive procedure may help people keep weight off after stopping popular drugs like Ozempic and semaglutide—something most patients struggle with. In a clinical trial, those who underwent a technique called duodenal mucosal resurfacing regained far less weight compared to others after discontinuing the medication. The procedure works by renewing the lining of the upper small intestine, potentially “resetting” metabolism and preserving the benefits of weight loss.

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 – Thursday, April 23 – New Life told FDA inspectors that they lacked the authority to enter parts of a facility where it made the GLP-1 receptor agonists semaglutide and tirzepatide.

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 – Thursday, April 23 – Outspoken body acceptance advocate Katie Sturino, who is the founder of Megababe Beauty, explains why it was a difficult decision for her to start taking weight loss drugs. She’s joined by psychiatrist Dr. Sue Varma who breaks down what people should do before taking a GLP-1 and the impact of societal pressure.

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 – Thursday, April 23 – Two of the biggest insurance providers have expressed reluctance to participate in the government’s BALANCE program that would have made GLP-1 drugs more affordable to patients.

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 – Thursday, April 23 – Amazon announced plans to sell the most popular GLP-1 weight loss medications and even offer same-day delivery in the United States. NBC’s Brian Cheung joins TODAY to break down what customers need to know, including whether it will save you money.

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 – Wednesday, April 22 – (MedPage Today) — A small trial suggested that timing exercise to match body clock chronotype enhanced cardiometabolic and sleep-related outcomes. (Open Heart)
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons published its new guideline for preventing and treating…

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 – Wednesday, April 22 – (MedPage Today) — Real-world data suggested the dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) was associated with greater weight loss, but also muscle loss, compared with semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), according to a medical…

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 – Wednesday, April 22 – Natural GLP-1 discovery hidden in joints could revolutionize arthritis treatment…

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Tuesday, April 21 – (MedPage Today) — Adults whose type 2 diabetes was treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists were more than likely to develop cognitive impairment over 10 years than their counterparts not treated with GLP-1 agents, a propensity-matched retrospective…

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Tuesday, April 21 – One in six couples worldwide face infertility issues but there is hope for those who are trying for pregnancy. Dr. Rekha Kumar, endocrinologist at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, joins TODAY to break down how long it should take to get pregnant at different age ranges before seeking medical help, why some people saw increased fertility after being on weight loss drugs, and more.

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Tuesday, April 21 – A new study identified several overlooked side effects of GLP-1 drugs through self-reporting among Reddit users. Image Credit: Fiordaliso/Getty Images

A recent study found various “hidden” side effects of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, including chills, hot flashes, and irregular periods.

The researchers used self-reported Reddit data to examine the real-world effects of these medications.

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Monday, April 20 – Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/BravoThe Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is TV’s best soap opera, week after week offering twists more shocking than secret twins and characters returning from the dead. That’s because it’s all real, happening in the most haunted suburb in the continental United States.Where else do two women connect over knowing the long-lost birth father of one’s child? Is there another city where women squabble over body positivity in a parking lot off the side of a snowy mountain? Surely, there’s no other place on Earth where Lisa Barlow could come across anywhere near a voice of reason.

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Monday, April 20 – GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are transforming weight loss, but a new UVA study warns they’re not improving a critical measure of health: cardiorespiratory fitness. While these medications help people shed fat, they also strip away vital muscle mass raising concerns about long-term heart health, physical function, and mortality. The researchers urge combining treatment with exercise, protein intake, and possibly future drugs to avoid hidden downsides of rapid weight loss.

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Monday, April 20 – Ozempic’s weight loss benefits might come at the cost of muscle strength, even if muscle size remains relatively stable. This raises significant concerns for older adults, who are already at risk for muscle loss and reduced mobility. Researchers stress the urgent need for human clinical trials to understand these effects fully.

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Monday, April 20 – Scientists are racing to improve weight loss treatments beyond drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which are effective but plagued by nausea, bone loss, and weight regain. Tufts University chemists have created a new multi-target compound that goes beyond the usual GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon approaches by adding a fourth hormone, PYY. This “quadruple-action” design aims to deliver weight loss results on par with bariatric surgery—up to 30%—without invasive procedures, and could change the future of obesity treatment.

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Monday, April 20 – Some people taking Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro notice that food suddenly tastes sweeter or saltier, and this subtle shift in flavor perception appears tied to reduced appetite and stronger feelings of fullness. In a study of more than 400 patients, roughly one in five experienced heightened taste sensitivity, and many reported being less hungry and more easily satisfied.

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Monday, April 20 – Semaglutide appears to safeguard the heart even when patients lose little weight. In a massive international trial, heart attack and stroke risk dropped by 20% regardless of BMI. The benefit seems tied not just to slimming down but to deeper biological effects on inflammation, blood pressure, and vessel health. Researchers say this could expand who qualifies for the drug.

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Novo Nordisk’s oral semaglutide 25 mg achieved up to 16.6% weight loss in a landmark study, rivaling injectable Wegovy. The pill also improved cardiovascular risk factors and physical activity levels. With a safety profile consistent with existing treatments, experts see it as a breakthrough for patients preferring oral options.

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Scientists are uncovering how GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy act on brain regions that control hunger, nausea, pleasure-based eating, and thirst. These discoveries may help create treatments that keep the benefits of weight loss while reducing unwanted side effects.

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Audience: Consumer PLAINSBORO, NJ, December 5, 2025 – FDA recently seized dozens of units of counterfeit Ozempic (semaglutide) injection 1 mg distributed illegally outside of Novo Nordisk’s authorized supply chain. The US Food and Drug…

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Monday, April 20 – Deep-brain recordings showed that Mounjaro and Zepbound briefly shut down the craving circuits linked to food noise in a patient with severe obesity. Her obsessive thoughts about food disappeared as the medication quieted the nucleus accumbens, the brain’s reward hub.

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Bariatric surgery far outperformed GLP-1 weight loss drugs in a new real-world comparison of more than 50,000 patients. Two years after treatment, surgery patients lost about 58 pounds on average, while those using semaglutide or tirzepatide lost roughly 12 pounds. Even patients who stayed on GLP-1 drugs for a full year saw much smaller results than surgical patients. High dropout rates and real-world challenges appear to blunt the drugs’ effectiveness.

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Audience: Health Care Professional, Consumer January 13, 2026

FDA Evaluation Did Not Identify an Increased Risk of Suicidal Ideation or Behavior With the Use of GLP-1 RA Medications
This information is an update to the FDA Drug Safety…

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy can dramatically curb appetite, but experts warn many users are flying blind when it comes to nutrition. New research suggests people taking these medications may not be getting enough guidance on protein, vitamins, and overall diet quality, increasing the risk of muscle loss and nutrient deficiencies.

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Could weight-loss drugs shrink the body representation we’ve spent decades seeking?

Monday, April 20, 2026 – INDIANAPOLIS, March 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced positive topline results from TRANSCEND-T2D-1, a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of retatrutide, an investigational…

Monday, April 20, 2026 – INDIANAPOLIS, March 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced detailed results from the TOGETHER-PsA open-label Phase 3b clinical trial evaluating the concomitant use of Taltz (ixekizumab) and Zepbound (tirzepatide)…

Monday, April 20, 2026 – (MedPage Today) — A 6-month hiatus in GLP-1 drug use was linked with an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes compared with continued use, according to a target trial emulation. (BMJ Medicine)…

Monday, April 20, 2026 – PLAINSBORO, N.J., March 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Novo Nordisk today announced a new multi-month subscription program for Wegovy® (semaglutide) that provides eligible self-pay patients who enroll in the program through select telehealth providers…

Monday, April 20, 2026 – (MedPage Today) — GLP-1 medications showed a range of potential benefits and safety concerns in an umbrella review of non-cardiometabolic outcomes, though the data quality for many remained limited.
Across 60 meta-analyses that assessed 116 non…

Monday, April 20, 2026 – Eli Lilly and Co. anticipates shipping newly approved Foundayo (orforglipron) within the next week, as the drug becomes the second oral weight-loss glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist to enter the U.S. market following December’s approval of Novo Nordisk A/S’ Wegovy (semaglutide) pill.

Monday, April 20, 2026 – (MedPage Today) — The FDA has approved a second oral GLP-1 receptor agonist for weight loss in adults with obesity or overweight and weight-related comorbidities.
A once-daily tablet, orforglipron (Foundayo) is indicated in conjunction with a…