GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro may do more than help people lose weight. A growing body of research now links these drugs to meaningful reductions in stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular risks, according to reporting by Healthline.
The drugs were originally developed to manage type 2 diabetes. Over time, doctors began prescribing them widely for weight loss. Now researchers are finding that the benefits may extend further, into the heart and vascular system.
Two studies presented at the SCAI 2026 Scientific Sessions and CAIC-ACCI Summit in Montreal in April focused specifically on tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound. The studies have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, but a news release detailed some findings. Researchers found that tirzepatide may reduce the risk of major heart problems like stroke by 30% in people with obesity who have undergone a procedure called transcatheter aortic valve replacement, known as TAVR. In a separate finding, tirzepatide may reduce the risk of death by 62% in people with type 2 diabetes who undergo a procedure called percutaneous coronary intervention, compared with those taking another diabetes drug called dulaglutide.
Kevin Shah, MD, a cardiologist and program director of Heart Failure Outreach at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at the Long Beach Medical Center, was not involved in the studies but spoke to Healthline about the broader implications. "These findings are consistent with what we are seeing broadly that medications like tirzepatide are not just weight loss drugs but have meaningful cardiometabolic benefits," Shah said.
A separate study published in BMJ Medicine in March looked at what happens when patients stop taking GLP-1 medications. Researchers followed 132,551 people taking GLP-1 drugs and 201,136 people taking a different class of diabetes medication called sulfonylurea over three years. They found that 26.36% of people discontinued GLP-1 treatment. The research suggests that cardiovascular benefits increase the longer a person stays on the medication, but stopping may reduce or reverse those protective effects.
The findings add to a widening picture of what GLP-1 drugs can do beyond managing blood sugar and body weight. Other research has also suggested that GLP-1 medications may help reduce thromboembolic events, such as deep vein thrombosis, in people with obesity and autoimmune diseases.
The Montreal conference presentations and the BMJ Medicine study together point in the same direction: duration of use appears to matter. Patients who stay on these medications longer may gain more cardiovascular protection, while those who discontinue may lose at least some of that benefit over time.
