Injectable weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro may do more than help people shed pounds—they may also protect the heart.
A new study by researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Harvard Medical School found that these medications can reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events by up to 18% in people with type 2 diabetes.
The study, published in Nature Medicine, analyzed a massive set of U.S. health insurance claims data to understand how these newer diabetes drugs—semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro)—perform in real-world settings.
These medications belong to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which not only help control blood sugar and reduce body weight but may also have heart-protective effects.
“Insurance data collected during routine clinical care give us a valuable look into how treatments work in everyday life, not just under the ideal conditions of clinical trials,” said Dr. Nils Krüger, the study’s first author and a physician at the TUM University Hospital German Heart Center.
“This kind of data allows us to answer important questions about drug safety and effectiveness in real patients.”
The results showed that both semaglutide and tirzepatide significantly lowered the risk of serious heart problems in high-risk patients with type 2 diabetes.
Compared to sitagliptin, an older diabetes drug with no known heart benefits, semaglutide reduced the risk of stroke and heart attack by 18%. Tirzepatide, when compared to dulaglutide (another GLP-1 drug already in use), lowered the combined risk of stroke, heart attack, and death by 13%.
Dr. Krüger explained that both drugs seem to offer strong cardioprotective effects—benefits that appear to begin early in treatment and are likely not explained by weight loss alone. “The effect seems to extend beyond simply helping patients lose weight,” he said, noting that the exact biological mechanisms behind this protection remain under investigation.
The study also compared the two popular GLP-1 drugs head-to-head. Despite manufacturer claims that one may outperform the other, the findings revealed only minor differences in cardiovascular outcomes between tirzepatide and semaglutide.
“Our study shows only small differences between the two drugs when it comes to heart protection,” said Professor Heribert Schunkert, Director of the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases at TUM University Hospital. “Both are effective and beneficial for patients at high cardiovascular risk.”
Type 2 diabetes significantly increases the likelihood of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular complications. For decades, doctors have searched for treatments that not only lower blood sugar but also reduce the risk of these life-threatening events.
Traditional medications like sitagliptin and metformin manage blood sugar but do not offer clear heart benefits. The discovery that GLP-1 drugs can protect the heart adds an important new dimension to diabetes care.
The researchers hope their findings will guide doctors in choosing the most effective therapies for patients at risk. “We want to give physicians real-world evidence to help them make informed decisions,” said Dr. Krüger.
“Our data also encourage open scientific discussion about whether these GLP-1 medications should become standard therapy in cardiovascular medicine.”
As drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro continue to gain global popularity, studies like this one may redefine how doctors view them—not just as weight-loss or diabetes medications, but as tools to prevent heart disease. For millions of people living with type 2 diabetes, this dual benefit could mean longer, healthier lives.
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