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  • Inam betting it's because of lowered inflammation allowing for stronger immune response.
    by cromka
  • I was at a hepatology meeting focussed on fatty liver a couple of years ago, where a well regarded head of hepatology at a major national quarternary referral centre, joked that we should be putting this in the water supply...
    by Alien1Being
  • How expensive are GLP-1s again?
    by tarxvf
  • i can kinda get how a glp-1 can be a miracle drug for weight: if we assume that simple molecular fixes to problems will eventually be found by evolution, then when we change our environment rapidly (e.g., with cheap bountiful calories) then this presents an opportunity for a miracle drug, since evolution will take some time to find the fix.

    but for something like reducing disease infection, i find it a lot harder to understand why we don't create this naturally unless there is some equal-but-opposite cost that we'd incur, or if there is not actually as big of a benefit as we believe (or if this is all just colinear with the weight loss stuff).

    note: i have no background in any of this and have no idea what i'm talking about

    by bbeonx
  • Could be due to better control of blood sugar. E.g. lower blood sugar increases inflammation, decrease immune response and provides bacteria a readily available source of food.
    by scheme271
  • Maybe being overweight is bad for the immune system
    by bayareabadboy
  • Question for people using GLP-1s: Do you plan to stay on them indefinitely? Are you concerned about gaining back the weight if you ever stop taking them?

    I've had success with weight loss through diet and exercise (exclusive and inclusive at different points) but had trouble keeping it off. GLP-1s are attractive for sure but I cannot make up my mind on if it's worth the risks (both known and unknown). I know everything has risks, including lots of risks about being overweight and maybe keeping the weight off is an easier problem for a healthier version of myself after using a GLP-1. I don't know.

    by joshstrange
  • Using a large database of (deidentified) medical records, the researchers compared the outcomes of people taking a GLP-1 for their type 2 diabetes to people taking other common diabetes drugs between 2017 and 2025. GLP-1 users were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with TB for up to a five-year span, they found.

    Both of these studies are observational and retrospective, meaning they can only show a correlation between GLP-1 use and reduced (or at least less severe) infections, not prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship. At the same time, these are the only latest pieces of evidence pointing to a genuine germ-busting benefit from GLP-1 drugs.

    I wonder if the likelihood that people taking a GLP-1 are probably better off financially, have a health care provider willing to spend on the drugs (and therefore probably a better medical system) or a combination of these and other traits are the real reason there are fewer infections.

    by master_crab

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GLP-1s are being linked to fewer serious infections, including TB · Birbla