Stopping weight loss injections could double the risk of heart attack, stroke or death for people with type 2 diabetes, a study has suggested.
The research focused on people with type 2 diabetes who had no established heart disease when the study began.
It found that heart health was better among those who remained on GLP-1 drugs than among those who came off them.
GLP-1 drugs are already thought to benefit the heart, with research indicating they may reduce inflammation and improve how blood vessels function.
Weight loss itself also tends to bring improvements in blood pressure, inflammation and cholesterol, all of which are good for the heart.
For the research, experts examined electronic medical records from more than 300 diabetes clinics across Italy.
Overall, the results suggested that the risk of a non-fatal heart attack, non-fatal stroke or death from any cause was about twice as high in people who stopped treatment as in those who continued.
The researchers said this worked out at about four strokes or heart attacks per 100 people per year among those who stopped, against two per 100 among those who carried on.
Source: The Independent, 10 November 2026
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