Research
Hormonal
GLP-1 receptor agonists are associated with an increased risk of gallbladder and biliary tract diseases, particularly with weight-loss focused dosing and specific agents like liraglutide.
Be aware that GLP-1 medications can increase the risk of gallstones, especially if you are losing weight rapidly. Report any abdominal pain to your doctor. This risk is higher with weight-loss doses compared to diabetes doses.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
GLP-1 RA therapy considerably elevated the probability of gallbladder and biliary disorders (pooled relative risk, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.23 to 1.52)
Why this rating
Supported by multiple RCTs and real-world data, though causality is not definitively established.
Source
Exploring the Side Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonist: To Ensure Its Optimal Positioning
Jung A Kim et al. · Diabetes & Metabolism Journal · 2025
DOI 10.4093/dmj.2025.0242
narrative_reviewCited 36×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) significantly increase the risk of gastrointestinal adverse events, specifically intestinal obstruction and perioperative aspiration, due to delayed gastric emptying.Good
- Current evidence does not support a significant increased risk of acute pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer associated with GLP-1 receptor agonists in human populations, despite early animal studies and spontaneous reports.Good
- GLP-1 receptor agonists are associated with a rapid worsening of diabetic retinopathy, particularly in patients with a history of retinopathy and those using insulin, likely due to rapid glycemic improvement.Moderate
Related findings · Hormonal
- Initial treatment for type 2 diabetes should be a combination of metformin and either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist to achieve cardiorenal protection, rather than monotherapy or older agents like sulfonylureas.Strong
- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
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