Weight-loss drug may lower risk of heart attacks and infections
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- Reviewed by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
The injectable diabetes drugs known as GLP-1s don’t just lead to dramatic weight loss; they also lower the risk of heart problems. A new study suggests that the GLP-1 drug tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) not only lowers the risk of heart attack but also reduces the risk of death from any cause — including from severe infections — compared to an older, non-GLP-1 diabetes pill.
The study, published in the Aug. 8, 2026, issue of The BMJ, was based on health insurance claims data from May 2022 to May 2025 for nearly 53,000 people ages 40 and older. All had excess weight (a body mass index of 25 or higher), type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. About 35,000 were taking tirzepatide and the rest were taking sitagliptin (Januvia).
After one year, the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death was 4.4% among those taking sitagliptin versus 2.9% among those taking tirzepatide — a reduction of nearly a third. The tirzepatide group also had a lower risk of severe bacterial infections, which cut their need for hospitalization by about a third and their risk of infection-related death by as much as 60%. The authors calculated that for every 70 patients starting tirzepatide, one case of heart attack, stroke, or death would be prevented. One infection-related hospital admission for every 48 patients would be prevented, and there would be one less death from any cause for every 122 patients.
As the authors of an editorial accompanying the study note, the findings strengthen the evidence for the cardiovascular benefits and safety of GLP-1 medications. But they caution that this observational study cannot prove the drugs themselves improved survival. In addition, tirzepatide and other GLP-1 medications come with challenges, including cost, side effects, accessibility, and supply, all of which may prevent sustained treatment.
Image: © Kateryna Borodina/Getty Images
About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
About the Reviewer
Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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