Research

Hormonal

GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy causes a significant increase in resting heart rate (RHR) during the initial 12 weeks of treatment, which is primarily mediated by a reduction in heart rate variability (HRV).

If you start a GLP-1 medication (like semaglutide or tirzepatide), expect your resting heart rate to increase by about 3 beats per minute over the first 3 months. This is a normal, mediated response involving your autonomic nervous system (HRV), not necessarily a sign of heart damage. If you use a wearable, track this trend, but consult your doctor if the increase is extreme or accompanied by other symptoms.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
GLP-1 users showed significant (Ps < 0.05) weight loss... and changes in RHR (3.2 ± 0.8 beats/min) that were mediated (P < 0.01) by changes in HRV ((cid:1)6.2 ± 1.4 ms) compared with control.
Gregory J. Grosicki et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology · 2024

Why this rating

Real-world observational study with propensity score matching and causal inference, but lacks randomization and specific drug/dose details.

Source

Heart and health behavior responses to GLP-1 receptor agonists: a 12-wk study using wearable technology and causal inference

Gregory J. Grosicki et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology · 2024

DOI 10.1152/ajpheart.00809.2024

cohort · n=132Cited 7×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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