A recent nationwide study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the journal Gut, reveals a potential breakthrough for people with type 2 diabetes and chronic liver disease.
The study found that GLP1 agonists, including drugs like Ozempic, may significantly lower the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer in these patients.
GLP1 agonists are primarily used to reduce blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes treatment. Due to their appetite-reducing effects, these drugs are increasingly being used to manage obesity and assist in weight loss.
The Swedish researchers focused on individuals with chronic liver disease and type 2 diabetes. By examining registry data, they compared the risk of severe liver damage between patients treated with GLP1 agonists and those who were not.
The findings indicated that long-term use of these drugs was associated with a decreased risk of developing advanced liver diseases like cirrhosis and liver cancer.
This discovery suggests that GLP1 agonists could be a viable option to prevent severe liver conditions in people with coexisting type 2 diabetes.
“Fatty liver disease affects a significant portion of the population, many of whom also have type 2 diabetes,” notes Axel Wester, assistant professor at Karolinska Institutet and the study’s first author.
He highlights the absence of approved drugs to mitigate this risk and the potential role of GLP1 agonists in filling this gap.
However, the study observed that many participants discontinued GLP1 agonist treatment, losing the protective effect against liver disease.
Those who maintained their medication regimen for ten years halved their likelihood of developing severe liver conditions.
The research team, including last author Hannes Hagström, a consultant in hepatology and adjunct professor at Karolinska Institutet, acknowledges the need for further confirmation through clinical trials.
They plan to use a newly created database, HERALD, containing detailed patient blood samples, to validate these findings.
If subsequent studies corroborate these results, it could greatly strengthen the case for using GLP1 agonists as a preventive measure against serious liver diseases in patients with type 2 diabetes.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about a diet that can treat fatty liver disease and obesity, and coffee drinkers may halve their risk of liver cancer.
For more information about liver health, please see recent studies that anti-inflammatory diet could help prevent fatty liver disease, and results showing vitamin D could help prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The research findings can be found in Gut.
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