Questions remain for whether the respiratory benefits are independent of weight loss<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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THURSDAY, Jan. 8, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) use is associated with a lower risk for acute asthma exacerbations in adolescents with overweight or obesity, according to a research letter published online Dec. 29 in JAMA Network Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n Yung-Chieh Huang, M.D., from Taichung Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan, and colleagues investigated the association between GLP-1 RA use and the risk for acute asthma exacerbations in a clinical cohort of 1,070 propensity-matched adolescents aged 12 to 18 years with overweight or obesity.<\/p>\n The researchers found that during 12 months of follow-up, acute asthma exacerbations were significantly less frequent in the GLP-1 RA group versus the control group (5.4 versus 10.7 percent; relative risk [RR], 0.51). GLP-1 RA use was also associated with a lower incidence of asthma-related emergency department visits (1.5 versus 3.6 percent; RR, 0.42). The GLP-1 RA group had fewer prescriptions for systemic corticosteroids (20.7 versus 31.4 percent; RR, 0.66) and for inhaled short-acting beta-2 agonists (32.3 versus 44.7 percent; RR, 0.72). However, among patients who experienced at least one exacerbation, the groups were similar with respect to the mean number of subsequent events over 12 months (1.83 versus 2.02).<\/p>\n “Prospective studies are needed to clarify whether these respiratory benefits are independent of weight loss,” the authors write.<\/p>\n