From the Research
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) offer numerous benefits beyond their established effects on diabetes, cardiovascular, and renal outcomes, including potential therapeutic applications in psychiatric and pulmonary disorders, as evidenced by the most recent study in 2025 1.
Benefits in Psychiatric Disorders
- GLP-1RAs show promise for treating conditions like depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders, with semaglutide and liraglutide demonstrating improvements in depressive symptoms likely due to their anti-inflammatory effects and ability to cross the blood-brain barrier.
- For substance use disorders, exenatide and semaglutide may reduce alcohol and nicotine cravings by modulating dopamine reward pathways.
Benefits in Pulmonary Disorders
- GLP-1RAs show potential for treating asthma and COPD through anti-inflammatory mechanisms, with liraglutide demonstrating improved lung function in preliminary studies.
Additional Benefits
- These medications also show benefits for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), with semaglutide significantly reducing liver inflammation and fibrosis at doses of 0.4mg daily in clinical trials.
- For neurodegenerative conditions, GLP-1RAs may offer neuroprotective effects in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, with ongoing trials examining dulaglutide and semaglutide for cognitive benefits.
- Additionally, these medications demonstrate anti-inflammatory properties that may benefit inflammatory bowel diseases and rheumatological conditions, as supported by a study in 2024 1.
Mechanism of Action
- The mechanism behind these diverse benefits involves GLP-1 receptors throughout the body that regulate inflammation, neural protection, and tissue repair beyond their metabolic effects, as discussed in a review from 2023 2 and further elaborated on in a study from 2021 3.
- A study from 2024 1 provides the most recent and comprehensive evidence of the benefits and risks of GLP-1RAs, highlighting their potential in various diseases beyond diabetes and obesity.