Gizmodo

Two recent studies have suggested that GLP-1 drugs can reduce the occurrence or severity of certain infections.

Two studies in recent weeks have found a link between GLP-1 use and a reduced risk of diseases like tuberculosis or infections serious enough to send people to the hospital. Though more research is needed to confirm this connection, GLP-1 drugs could very well offer a buffer against certain infections, particularly among more vulnerable groups like people with type 2 diabetes.

“These findings suggest that beyond their established metabolic benefits, GLP-1RAs may confer additional advantages in lowering infection risk,” said the authors of one recent study, published late last month in the journal Nature Communications.

The authors of the Nature Communication study looked specifically at tuberculosis, or TB. TB is a bacterial infection and one of the world’s single deadliest germs. In 2024, it killed roughly 1.2 million people globally. The bacteria can often linger silently in people’s bodies after the initial acute infection, returning years later when a person’s immune system starts to falter.