1 Drugs May Lower Fracture Risk
A study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that patients with type 2 diabetes using GLP-1 medications had a 21% lower risk of fragility fractures compared to those on DPP-4 inhibitors. Researchers caution that the study is observational and requires further investigation to prove causation.
Why it matters
As GLP-1 drugs become widely used for weight loss and diabetes, understanding their secondary effects on bone health is vital for patient safety.
Fragility fractures occur when bones are fragile enough to break from a fall that wouldn’t normally break a healthy bone.
While the findings are encouraging, the study is observational and therefore cannot prove that GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic or Mounjaro , reduce the risk of fractures. The researchers acknowledged this limitation and agree that further studies are needed.
The findings were published on July 24 in JAMA Network Open .
“GLP-1 RAs are being used by a rapidly growing number of patients,” said the study’s primary author, Christopher D. Hamad , MD, research fellow in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles.
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