People taking GLP-1 medications for type 2 diabetes had higher rates of smell and taste disturbances than those taking other diabetes drugs, according to a new study. The findings come as GLP-1 drugs have become among the most widely prescribed medications in the country, used not only for diabetes but increasingly for weight loss.
Researchers examined medical records from two groups drawn from the TriNetX Global Collaborative Network, a program involving more than 170 healthcare institutions. The data spanned December 2017 through April 2026. Each group consisted of more than 430,000 adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who had no prior history of taste or smell impairment. Participants were about 55% female, with an average age of around 57 years. One group had been prescribed a GLP-1 medication. The other had been prescribed diabetes medication but no GLP-1 drugs.
The results showed that taste disturbances were identified in 769 participants in the GLP-1 group, compared with 445 in the control group. Smell disturbances were reported by 649 participants in the GLP-1 group, compared with 316 in the control group. Researchers said the sensory effects could be related to the olfactory bulb and chemosensory pathways, and may be connected to how the drugs are absorbed into the nervous system, according to a report by Healthline.
The study authors called for more attention to the issue. "This study suggests that GLP-1RA therapy is associated with a higher risk of smell and taste disturbance, highlighting the need for closer monitoring and greater public health awareness," the authors wrote. They also noted that more research is needed. "Future research is required to validate these findings and to further explore the mechanisms underlying this association," they added.
Despite the findings, some physicians are not yet alarmed. Mir Ali, a bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in California, said the side effect does not appear widespread based on his own patients. Ali was not involved in the study. "I don't think it should discourage people from taking these medications," he told Healthline. "The trade-off of getting to a healthy weight far outweighs any changes to taste or smell."
Separately, researchers at North Dakota State University and Sanford Health have launched a study looking at the real-world effects of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, according to Valley News Live. That study is focused on how the medications perform outside of controlled clinical trial settings, examining outcomes as they occur in everyday patients.
GLP-1 medications work by mimicking a hormone that regulates blood sugar and appetite. Their rapid rise in use has generated significant research attention, and scientists continue to study both their benefits and their lesser-known effects on body systems beyond metabolism.
The follow-up period in the taste and smell study ran from three months to two years after participants stopped using GLP-1 medications, giving researchers a window into whether effects persisted after discontinuation.