GLP-1 receptor agonists in obesity treatment: Effects on cardiometabolic variables and cardiovascular disease

Abstract

Obesity is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. Drugs with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (arGLP-1) action for overweight/obesity, such as liraglutide, semaglutide, and tirzepatide, have shown improvements in weight and body composition, as well as in parameters related to glucose metabolism, hypertension, dyslipidemia (reduction of triglycerides and increase in HDL cholesterol), and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Additionally, semaglutide 2.4 mg sc has shown a reduction in cardiovascular mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction or stroke, and symptoms of heart failure, while tirzepatide has demonstrated a reduction in cardiovascular mortality and heart failure symptoms in patients with obesity and heart failure. The availability of these new drugs with arGLP-1 action represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of obesity, as they achieve greater weight loss and improvements in cardiometabolic comorbidities.