GLP-1 drugs may slightly raise the risk of osteoporosis, according to a pair of new studies.
In one study, presented March 2 at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ annual meeting, researchers evaluated five years of medical records from more than 146,000 with both obesity and Type 2 diabetes. They compared patients taking GLP-1 drugs with those not taking the medications, according to an NBC News report on the findings.
About 4% of GLP-1 users developed osteoporosis, compared to a little more than 3% of nonusers — an approximately 30% increased risk. Rates of gout were also slightly higher among GLP-1 users, at 7.4% versus 6.6% for nonusers, representing about a 12% increased risk.
The study has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal and was observational, meaning it cannot prove the medications caused osteoporosis or gout. Researchers noted the study did not look at patients’ diets, exercise habits or use of supplements such as vitamin D, which can affect bone health.
A separate analysis published March 3 using Epic’s Cosmos database — a deidentified dataset spanning more than 300 million patient records from 1,900 hospitals and 42,000 clinics — found more nuanced results, with differences based on diabetes status.
Among roughly 2 million adults with Type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 use was associated with an 8.7% lower osteoporosis risk among patients who maintained stable weight, compared with those not prescribed a GLP-1. As weight loss increased, osteoporosis risk rose in both groups, though the increase was smaller among GLP-1 users.
However, among more than 380,000 adults without diabetes prescribed a GLP-1 or another weight loss medication, GLP-1 use was associated with a 22% higher osteoporosis risk among patients whose weight remained stable, compared with those taking other weight loss drugs. The analysis adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking history, chronic steroid use and weight change over time.
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