Weight-loss medication like Ozempic and Zepbound may assist shield individuals from well being dangers associated to sleep apnea, a brand new research says.
Sort 2 diabetes sufferers taking GLP-1 medication had been total much less more likely to die throughout the subsequent 12 months, however these with sleep apnea did even higher, researchers reported at a gathering of the American Faculty of Chest Physicians in Chicago.
The outcomes assist the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration’s (FDA) resolution in December 2024 to approve Zepbound (tirzepetide) as the primary drug to deal with sleep apnea in adults with weight problems.
Sleep apnea happens when an individual’s higher airway turns into blocked whereas they snooze, inflicting pauses of their respiratory that awaken them. The outcome: poor sleep evening after evening.
Sleep apnea is extra widespread in individuals with chubby or weight problems, as a result of extra weight from fatty deposits will increase strain on the higher airways, inflicting them to break down, based on the Weight problems Medication Affiliation. Additional kilos additionally cut back an individual’s lung capability.
For the brand new research, researchers analyzed information on almost 1.8 million sufferers with sort 2 diabetes, of whom about 28% had been prescribed a GLP-1 drug.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medication mimic the GLP-1 hormone, which helps management insulin and blood sugar ranges, decreases urge for food and slows digestion of meals. The medication had been initially developed to deal with diabetes, earlier than their weight reduction advantages had been noticed.
Everybody taking a GLP-1 drug had a decrease short-term danger of demise, however these with sleep apnea had a 20% decrease danger than these with out the respiratory dysfunction, outcomes confirmed.
Absolutely the danger of demise amongst individuals with out sleep apnea was 0.9% for these on a GLP-1 drug versus 1.8% for these not taking the meds.
By comparability, the chance of demise amongst sleep apnea sufferers was 1% for these on a GLP-1 versus 2.5% for individuals who weren’t.
“This large-scale analysis suggests that OSA status may act as an effect modifier in the association between GLP-1RA prescription and mortality,” Fowler mentioned.
Based mostly on these outcomes, medical doctors ought to take into account whether or not an individual has sleep apnea when deciding whether or not to prescribe a GLP-1 drug, researchers mentioned.
Nonetheless, they mentioned extra analysis is required to higher perceive why GLP-1 medication may assist sleep apnea sufferers, and to trace the potential longer-term advantages.
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GLP-1 medication assist shield in opposition to sleep apnea, research says (2025, October 21)
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