{"id":816925,"date":"2026-03-10T15:58:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T15:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/816925\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T15:58:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T15:58:19","slug":"ozempic-like-drugs-may-increase-risk-of-bone-and-joint-conditions-sciencealert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/816925\/","title":{"rendered":"Ozempic-Like Drugs May Increase Risk of Bone And Joint Conditions : ScienceAlert"},"content":{"rendered":"

GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, may slightly increase the risk of osteoporosis, gout, and the rare metabolic bone disease osteomalacia<\/a>, a recent study suggests.<\/p>\n

As these conditions are all related to bones and joints, the study’s researchers suspect that the sudden reduction in mass<\/a> may stress the musculoskeletal system<\/a>. Rapid weight loss can also trigger a spike in the uric acid that causes gout. A drop in food and nutrient intake may also be involved<\/a>, the team suggests.<\/p>\n

GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) drugs have previously been linked<\/a> to disruptions in the calcium production that bones rely on for growth and repair, raising the possibility that more than one mechanism may be responsible.<\/p>\n

While it’s becoming evident that GLP-1 medications provide a range of health benefits<\/a> that extend beyond weight reduction<\/a> and the management of Type 2 diabetes<\/a>, the relative newness of these drugs means we may not have the full picture<\/a> of their effects yet.<\/p>\n

“We are just now reaching the precipice where five- and 10-year follow-up data is becoming available for patients taking GLP-1 medications,” says<\/a> lead author Muaaz Wajahath, a medical student at Michigan State University.<\/p>\n

GLP-1 drugs are so-called because they mimic the effects of the naturally occurring GLP-1 hormone: reducing appetite<\/a>, slowing digestion, and boosting insulin. They’re sometimes referred to as receptor agonists (RAs) because they work on the same cell receptors as the GLP-1 hormone.<\/p>\n

\"OzempicMany GLP-1 drugs are administered via injection. (Haberdoedas\/Unsplash<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Wajahath and his colleagues analyzed the health records of 73,483 individuals for five years after they started on a course of GLP-1 medication. These records were compared to those of 73,483 control participants who weren’t taking GLP-1 drugs, matched by age, sex, body mass index<\/a>, and several other factors.<\/p>\n

Compared to those not taking GLP-1 medication<\/a>, those taking the drugs \u2013 including semaglutide, liraglutide, dulaglutide, or exenatide \u2013 had a 0.9 percent higher risk of developing osteoporosis, a 0.8 percent higher risk of gout, and a 0.1 percent higher risk of osteomalacia.<\/p>\n

It’s important to note the study doesn’t prove cause and effect. Several other related factors, including diet and exercise habits<\/a>, weren’t included in the analyzed data.<\/p>\n

While the increase in risk small, the association is statistically significant<\/a> and worth exploring further. Not only does it give us a better understanding of how GLP-1 treatments<\/a> affect the body it could also be used to personalize prescriptions in the future.<\/p>\n

“Whenever you have a patient who is prone to osteoporosis, gout, or osteomalacia, clinicians should consider bone health surveillance and monitor for delayed-onset complications in at-risk populations,” says<\/a> Wajahath.<\/p>\n

“These changes can be implemented immediately and can be an easy fix to potentially prevent these side effects.”<\/p>\n

\"Subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s a complicated picture, especially given that another related study<\/a> presented at the same conference found people taking GLP-1 medication have better recovery outcomes, on average, from orthopaedic procedures like hip and knee replacements. It’s not as straightforward as saying GLP-1 treatments are bad for bones, and might even help osteoarthritis issues<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Recent research has linked this category of drug with a small increased risk of vision loss<\/a>, severe pancreas problems<\/a>, and muscle loss<\/a>, but we don’t yet have enough data to fully assess the risk vs reward balance of GLP-1 RAs.<\/p>\n

It’s possible that for some people, other treatment approaches or natural alternatives<\/a> might be better. For now though, researchers are continuing to closely examine the potential pros<\/a> and cons of these GLP-1 medications.<\/p>\n

Related: Suicidal Thoughts Prompt New Warnings From Health Authorities For GLP-1 Drugs<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Any medication that sees this rapid adoption warrants close examination, particularly in orthopaedics where obesity and surgical intervention often overlap, and when the long-term effects of GLP-1 RA exposure on bone and joint health remain poorly understood,” says<\/a> Wajahath.<\/p>\n

The research has been presented at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons<\/a> (AAOS).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, may slightly increase the risk of osteoporosis, gout, and the rare…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":816926,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4315],"tags":[105,4326,120,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-816925","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-medication","10":"tag-msft-content","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116205709658766768","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=816925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816925\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/816926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=816925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=816925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=816925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}