GLP-1 medications are known for their use in treating diabetes and assisting with weight loss. The name GLP-1 is short for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists. They work by mimicking the effects of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 that plays a role in blood sugar regulation as well as influencing digestion and feelings of fullness after eating. People with type 2 diabetes, obesity, or both often receive advice on lifestyle habits that might help with managing these conditions, and this is also the case when doctors prescribe GLP-1s. Healthy habits such as eating a healthy diet, exercising, and avoiding smoking can all help with blood sugar control and support healthy weight loss. While many studies have looked at how healthy lifestyle choices can support the use of GLP-1 medications, less attention has been paid to their long-term effects on cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular disease is an important consideration for people with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association reports that people with diabetes are twice as likely to have heart disease or a stroke than those who do not.
GLP-1 medications are known for their use in treating diabetes and assisting with weight loss.
The name GLP-1 is short for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists. They work by mimicking the effects of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 that plays a role in blood sugar regulation as well as influencing digestion and feelings of fullness after eating.
People with type 2 diabetes, obesity, or both often receive advice on lifestyle habits that might help with managing these conditions, and this is also the case when doctors prescribe GLP-1s.
Healthy habits such as eating a healthy diet, exercising, and avoiding smoking can all help with blood sugar control and support healthy weight loss.
While many studies have looked at how healthy lifestyle choices can support the use of GLP-1 medications, less attention has been paid to their long-term effects on cardiovascular health.
Cardiovascular disease is an important consideration for people with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association reports that people with diabetes are twice as likely to have heart disease or a stroke than those who do not.
This new study, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology and funded by the Department of Veteran Affairs, aims to shine a light on how effective lifestyle and medication together might be at protecting people with diabetes.
For the study, the researchers examined data for 98,261 people with type 2 diabetes who were enrolled on the US Veterans Affairs’ Million Veteran Program between Jan 10, 2011, and Sept 30, 2023.
Each of the participants had no previous history of heart attacks, strokes, or advanced chronic kidney disease. Over 13,000 of the participants used a GLP-1.
The researchers identified eight healthy lifestyle habits to look at in the study, which were:
Medical News Today spoke to Frank Hu , MD, PhD, Fredrick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology and chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, one of the authors of the study.
Hu explained that they assessed the participants’ diets using the Healthy Plant-Based Diet Index (hPDI): “a dietary score that rewards higher intake of healthy plant foods (such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes) while penalizing intake of less healthy plant foods and animal foods to reflect overall plant-based diet quality.”
The researchers defined a healthy diet as one that landed in the upper 40% of the hPDI.
The study authors also looked to see if the participants experienced major adverse cardiovascular events, or MACE. This covered non-fatal strokes or heart attacks as well as death from cardiovascular causes.
With this information, the study authors then assessed how the risk of MACE related to the use of GLP-1s and adherence to the eight healthy lifestyle habits.
Overall, the researchers found that using a GLP-1 in tandem with adhering to healthy habits was associated with a greater reduction in risk of MACE than that provided by the medication or the lifestyle habits on their own.
During the years the researchers observed, a total of 10,433 participants experienced a MACE.
The participants that used a GLP-1 and also adhered to between six and eight of the healthy habits had a 43% lower risk of MACE than those who did not use GLP-1s and adhered to three or fewer of the healthy habits.