Effects of GnRH agonists and antagonists on cardiovascular and metabolic systems in adults: Mechanistic pathways and risk management.
Etezadi. Atoosa A; Marashi. Seyed Mehdi SM; Nazari. Leila L; Sina. Mozhgan M; Samadi Nasab. Fatemeh F; Amirlatifi. Shahrzad S; Zamanifard. Somaye S; Zahiri. Ziba Z; Khodaparast. Farnaz F
Key Findings
- GnRH agonists and antagonists suppress sex hormones, leading to insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and increased visceral fat.
- Long‑term GnRH therapy in adults is linked to higher risks of type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease.
- Evidence in younger people is scarce, so adult data shouldn’t be automatically applied to kids.
Practical Outcomes
- If you’re using or considering GnRH therapy, regularly check blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Adding lifestyle measures—like a low‑carb, anti‑inflammatory diet, regular exercise, and weight control—can offset some risks. Discuss with a doctor the possible use of insulin‑sensitizing drugs, statins, or blood‑pressure meds to protect heart and metabolic health.
Summary
GnRH drugs, which are used for things like fertility problems and some cancers, can mess up your metabolism and heart health. They can make you more insulin‑resistant, raise bad cholesterol, and cause extra belly fat that fuels inflammation, all of which raise the chance of diabetes and heart disease. The biggest warning is for people on these drugs for a long time, especially adults, while we still don’t know much about the effects on kids.
Abstract
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) therapy, widely used in the management of reproductive and oncological disorders in adult humans, has been increasingly linked to metabolic and cardiovascular complications. This review focuses on the human clinical evidence, highlighting the interplay between GnRH-induced metabolic dysregulation and cardiotoxicity, particularly through mechanisms involving insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and adipose tissue dysfunction. Suppression of sex steroid hormones by GnRH agonists and antagonists disrupts glucose and lipid metabolism, leading to heightened risks of type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Long-term therapy promotes visceral adiposity-a metabolically active depot that amplifies systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction-further accelerating vascular injury. While substantial data exist in adult populations, evidence in youth remains extremely limited. The use of GnRH agonists in conditions such as central precocious puberty and gender dysphoria raises critical unanswered questions regarding whether early-life suppression of sex steroids produces similar or distinct cardiometabolic effects compared with adults. Given this uncertainty, extrapolation from adult data must be approached with caution. This review underscores the urgent need for proactive cardiovascular risk management in adults undergoing long-term GnRH therapy and highlights the importance of future longitudinal studies in younger populations. Integrating pharmacologic interventions (e.g., insulin sensitizers, statins, antihypertensives) with lifestyle strategies and precision-medicine approaches will be key to optimizing long-term metabolic and cardiovascular outcomes.
Study Information
pubmed
2025
2025-12-02T00:00:00.000Z
10.1016/j.biopha.2025.118860
176