Research

Hormonal

GLP-1 receptor agonists reduce hospitalizations for heart failure (HHF) by approximately 10-11%, although their effect on heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is neutral or potentially harmful in small studies.

If you have Type 2 Diabetes and heart failure, GLP-1 RAs can help reduce the risk of being hospitalized for heart failure. However, if you have a specific type of heart failure where the heart muscle is weak (HFrEF), the data is less clear, and you should discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Two meta-analyses including the 8 CVOTs including 60 080 patients found HHF to be reduced by 10% to 11%. ... In the placebo-controlled LIVE study in 241 patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction with and without diabetes, liraglutide treatment during 24 weeks did not change left ventricular ejection fraction, quality of life, or HF symptoms. However, patients in the liraglutide group exhibited a higher risk for cardiovascular events...
Nikolaus Marx et al. · Circulation · 2022

Why this rating

Strong evidence for HHF reduction in large CVOTs; weaker evidence for HFrEF due to small sample sizes and conflicting signals.

Source

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists for the Reduction of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Nikolaus Marx et al. · Circulation · 2022

DOI 10.1161/circulationaha.122.059595

narrative_reviewCited 432×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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