As demand for weight-loss injections sold under brand names such as Ozempic and Wegovy continues to soar, a study has uncovered neurological and behavioral health benefits amid risks for pancreatitis and kidney disease.

The media queen also confessed that she was reluctant to take a GLP-1 drug because she felt it was “the easy way out.” That changed after a special on weight loss with experts and clinicians that she taped in July 2023. The panel discussion left her with her “biggest aha moment” about the medication.

The findings, based on an analysis of records from 2.5 million VA patients, support much of what scientists already suspected but contain surprises, too.

T he newest weight-loss drugs, Wegovy and Zepbound, are incredibly popular. But doctors are still learning about all of the ways they affect the body—both helpful and harmful—beyond reducing weight. In report published in Nature Medicine,

Some outcomes, like reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and increased chance of nausea, were expected. But others took researchers by surprise.

Over 2 million people were included in new research to test these drugs against 175 different health outcomes.