Research
Hormonal
GLP-1 receptor agonists are associated with a modestly increased risk of gallbladder and biliary disorders, particularly at higher doses and longer treatment durations.
Be aware that GLP-1 medications can slightly increase your risk of gallbladder issues, such as gallstones or inflammation. This risk is higher if you take higher doses or use the medication for a long time. While the absolute risk is low, report any severe abdominal pain to your doctor promptly.
GoodQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
A meta-analysis of 76 RCTs... found that GLP-1 RA treatment... was associated with a modestly elevated risk of cholelithiasis (RR: 1.27, 95% CI 1.10, 1.47), cholecystitis (RR: 1.36, 95% CI 1.14, 1.62), and overall biliary disease (RR: 1.55, 95% CI 1.08, 2.22)... corresponding to an absolute increase of approximately 27 events per 10,000 patients per year.
Why this rating
Based on meta-analysis of RCTs and observational data.
Source
The expanding role of GLP-1 receptor agonists: a narrative review of current evidence and future directions
Areesha Moiz et al. · EClinicalMedicine · 2025
DOI 10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103363
narrative_reviewCited 68×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) produce clinically meaningful weight loss of 15–20% in clinical trials, significantly exceeding the modest 3–9% loss from alternative pharmacotherapies and the partial regain seen with lifestyle interventions alone.Strong
- Discontinuation of GLP-1 RA treatment leads to significant weight regain (up to 68% of lost weight) and reversal of cardiometabolic improvements, indicating that obesity requires chronic management.Strong
- GLP-1 receptor agonists provide significant cardiorenal protection, reducing major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and kidney-related complications in patients with type 2 diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease, independent of weight loss.Strong
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