A recent systematic review and meta-analysis indicates that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) achieve greater weight loss results in women than in men. The study found no significant differences in efficacy across other demographic and health factors, including age, race, ethnicity, baseline BMI, and HbA1c.
Initially developed for Type 2 diabetes management, GLP-1RAs have gained substantial interest due to their impact on global health challenges like diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.
The analysis examined nearly 50 randomized controlled trials, involving close to 2,000 participants per study. In a subset of six trials with nearly 20,000 patients, women experienced average weight loss exceeding 10%, while men showed less than 7% average weight loss.
Researchers acknowledged potential limitations, including the exclusion of trials not reporting stratified results and the summarization of article-level data. Inconsistent reporting of factors like BMI and HbA1c also required informed synthesis by the research team.
These findings suggest GLP-1RA effectiveness may extend to underrepresented populations in clinical trials. The study provides valuable insights for clinicians and patients aiming to improve care for obesity, diabetes, and related conditions.