Efficacy and safety of GLP-1 receptor agonists in the treatment of obese patients with chronic heart failure: a meta-analysis.
Jia. Anna A; Yang. Ming M; Wang. Tianhong T; Hua. Yusi Y; Lu. Huimin H
Key Findings
- GLPâ1RAs reduced worsening heartâfailure events (ORâŻââŻ0.43, pâŻ<âŻ0.00001).
- Average bodyâweight loss of roughly 7.9âŻkg across studies (pâŻ=âŻ0.04).
- Improved functional outcomes: 6âminute walk distance up ~16âŻm and KCCQâCSS up ~6.8 points (both pâŻ<âŻ0.00001).
- No significant increase in gastrointestinal sideâeffects or serious adverse events.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers and selfâexperimenters, adding a GLPâ1RA like tirzepatide to a regimen for obesityârelated heart failure could meaningfully lower the risk of disease progression while delivering notable weight loss and better exercise tolerance. Use standard therapeutic doses, monitor weight, walk distance, and heartâfailure symptoms, and watch for typical GI upset, which appears comparable to placebo.
Summary
A metaâanalysis of six studies shows that drugs in the GLPâ1 receptor agonist family â including tirzepatide â cut the chance of heartâfailure worsening by more than half, help people lose about 8âŻkg, and boost exercise capacity and qualityâofâlife scores, without raising major safety worries.
Abstract
To investigate the efficacy and safety of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists(GLP-1RAs) (Liraglutide, Semaglutide, Exenatide, Dulaglutide, Lixisenatide, and Tirzepatide) in obese patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). A systematic search was performed in 3 databases (Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Library) for articles evaluating the effectiveness and safety of GLP-1RAs (Liraglutide, Semaglutide, Exenatide, Dulaglutide, Lixisenatide, and Tirzepatide) for the treatment of obese patients with CHF from the time the database was created until 5 January 2025. Meta-analyses were performed to evaluate: primary outcomes, including all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and worsening heart failure events; secondary outcomes, encompassing changes in body weight, Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Clinical Summary Score (KCCQ-CSS), 6-minute walk distance, B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) level, high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) level, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) level; and safety outcomes, specifically gastrointestinal adverse events and serious adverse events. A total of 6 papers were included for Meta-analysis. The primary clinical outcomes: all-cause mortality [OR=0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.40-2.00, <i>p</i> = 0.78], cardiovascular mortality (OR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.22-4.00, <i>p</i> = 0.92) and worsening heart failure events (OR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.30-0.59, <i>p</i> < 0.00001); For secondary outcomes, change in body weight (MD = -7.90, 95% CI: -15.44 to -0.35, <i>p</i> = 0.04), change in the KCCQ-CSS (MD = 6.81, 95% CI: 6.62-6.99, <i>p</i> < 0.00001),change in the 6-minute walk distance (MD = 15.91, 95% CI: 15.36-16.47, <i>p</i> < 0.00001), change in the BNP level (MD = -0.13, 95% CI: -0.21 to -0.05, <i>p</i> = 0.001), changes in the hs-CRP level (MD = -16.61, 95% CI: -48.53 to 15.31, <i>p</i> = 0.31) and change in the LVEF level (MD = -0.91, 95% CI: -2.12 to 0.29, <i>p</i> = 0.14). For safety outcomes, gastrointestinal adverse events (OR=0.87, 95% CI: 0.11-7.05, <i>p</i> = 0.90) and serious adverse events (OR=0.63, 95% CI: 0.37-1.08, <i>p</i> = 0.09). The study results show that GLP-1RAs significantly reduce the risk of worsening heart failure events and improve cardiac function, suggesting that GLP-1RAs are promising treatment options for obese patients with CHF.
Study Information
pubmed
2025
2025-10-03T00:00:00.000Z
10.3389/fcvm.2025.1633114
41