GLP-1 drugs and healthy habits work together to boost heart health, Harvard study confirms
Patients with type 2 diabetes who use GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and make healthy lifestyle choices can significantly lower their risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke, according to new data published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.[1]
The study’s authors explored data from more than 98,000 participants from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Million Veteran Program. These individuals were enrolled from 2011 to 2023.
Lifestyle habits explored in this analysis included getting a recommended amount of exercise, not smoking, sleeping well, drinking minimal alcohol, properly managing stress, connecting with others socially and avoiding opioids. Overall, adults on a GLP-1 RA and following six to eight of these healthy habits was associated with a 43% lower risk of experiencing a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) than those not taking GLP-1 RA or adhering to these habits. When adults followed all eight habits, meanwhile, the risk was approximately 60% lower.
In addition, those using a GLP-1 RA had a 16% lower MACE risk than those who did not use a GLP-1.
“Our findings underscore that, even in the era of highly effective GLP-1 pharmacotherapy, lifestyle habits remain central to diabetes management and cardiovascular risk reduction and can substantially amplify the benefits of modern medications,” corresponding author Frank Hu, MD, PhD, chair of the department of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a statement.
Hu emphasized that living a healthy lifestyle—staying active, getting enough sleep, not smoking, etc.—remains critical for all patients.
“From a public health perspective, the results underscore the continued importance of population-level investments and policy in promoting healthy diet, physical activity, sleep, stress management, and social connection, even in a modern drug era,” he said. “As novel therapies expand, scalable lifestyle interventions remain essential for reducing the overall burden of cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases.”
The group did note that their findings were based on patients who were primarily white. While this may limit the generalizability of the study’s outcomes to a certain degree, the overall trend remained consistent across all racial and ethnic groups.
Click here to read the full analysis.
New data highlight the many potential benefits of GLP-1 therapy
GLP-1 RAs such as semaglutide—sold by Novo Nordisk under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic—continue to be one of the most significant trends in modern medicine. While they were originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, they have now been linked to multiple other benefits, cardiovascular and otherwise.
An earlier version of this research was presented during the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025 conference. This final analysis includes significantly more patients and provides more detail.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.