• Posted June 17, 2026

Lower Risk Of Death, Clots Among Autoimmune Patients Taking GLP-1 Drugs

People with an autoimmune disease and obesity might lower their risk of dangerous blood clots and death by taking Ozempic or Zepbound, a new study says.

Autoimmune diseases like celiac disease, vitiligo, psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis increase the risk of severe heath emergencies because they cause inflammation and malfunctioning immune responses, researchers said.

But GLP-1 medications might be able to counter that risk, researchers reported recently in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Overall, people’s risk of death was cut by nearly half if they were taking a GLP-1 drug, the study found.

“In this real-world analysis, we found a consistent signal toward fewer serious complications including blood clots and lower mortality among patients treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists,” senior researcher Dr. Amy Sheer said in a news release. She is the director of the Obesity Medicine Fellowship Program at the University of Florida.

For the study, researchers compared more than 13,000 people taking a GLP-1 drug with the same number who weren’t prescribed the weight-loss meds. Participants were treated in a Florida health network between 2014 and 2024.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs mimic the GLP-1 hormone, which helps control insulin and blood sugar levels, decreases appetite and slows digestion of food.

All of the patients had been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and obesity, and researchers analyzed more than 10 years of their health data.

Results showed that those taking a GLP-1 drug had a:

• 17% lower risk of blood clots forming in a vein

• 31% lower risk of a blood clot causing a pulmonary embolism in a lung

• 13% lower risk of stroke

• 21% lower odds of ER visits

• 44% reduced risk of death

"The 44% reduction in all-cause mortality observed among patients with obesity and co-occurring autoimmune disease is a striking finding that demands our attention,” said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who reviewed the findings.

“As an obesity medicine physician scientist who regularly cares for patients with complex inflammatory conditions, this study reinforces what many of us have suspected clinically — that the benefits of GLP-1 receptor agonists extend well beyond blood sugar control and weight loss and may fundamentally alter the disease trajectory for some of our highest-risk patients,” Stanford added in a news release.

GLP-1 drugs are known to help modulate the immune systems and reduce blood clotting among people taking them, which might explain these results, researchers said in their study.

“I am excited about the combination of medications for these diseases —pairing medicines with known benefits to treat the autoimmune disease with a GLP-1RA,” Sheer said. “For people who are overweight or living with obesity and an autoimmune disease, this study offers a hopeful signal that medications already in use today may be beneficial in reducing their risk of cardiovascular disease.”

More information

The Mayo Clinic has more on GLP-1 drug benefits.

SOURCE: American Heart Association, news release, June 6, 2026