Two new studies have found that popular weight-loss drugs, such as Ozempic and Manjaro, may help protect against some serious infectious diseases, including tuberculosis.
Research has shown that users of GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wigovy) and terzipatide (Mangaro/Zebound) were less likely to develop tuberculosis or infections requiring hospitalization, compared to diabetic patients taking other drugs.
Although the results are still preliminary and need further confirmation, they add to the growing list of benefits of these drugs, which are primarily used to treat diabetes and obesity.
This study, published in the journal Nature Communications, focused on tuberculosis, which is one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, causing the death of about 1.2 million people in 2024.
The researchers analyzed medical records for more than 8 years, compared data from users of GLP-1 drugs with other diabetic patients, and found that the first group significantly reduced the likelihood of a tuberculosis diagnosis over 5 years.
The second study, published in the BMJ in August, focused primarily on the effect of the drug "terzepatide" (Mangaro/Zebound) on heart health.
Although the main result was a reduced risk of heart attacks, the researchers noted an additional benefit: users of the drug were less likely to develop an infection requiring hospitalization, less likely to die from any cause, and less likely to die from a reported infection.
Researchers believe that improved metabolic health and weight loss may be the primary reasons, as diabetes and obesity are known to increase the risk of infection. However, they do not rule out the existence of other underlying mechanisms contributing to this protective effect
The researchers caution that both studies are observational and based on peer review, meaning they demonstrate correlation but not a definitive causal relationship. They emphasize the need for further, more experimental studies to understand the precise mechanism.
While GLP-1 drugs continue to make headlines thanks to their numerous benefits, these two studies add further evidence of their wide potential, giving patients additional hope and motivating scientists to continue exploring
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