- A large percentage of Americans are currently taking GLP-1 medications, and with such an increased interest, researchers have been examining other potential Health benefits of these drugs outside of managing type 2 diabetes and weight loss.
- One study presented at AAOS’ 2026 Annual Meeting found GLP-1s may help improve postoperative outcomes after certain orthopedic procedures.
- A second study reports that GLP-1 use may be associated with an increased risk for osteoporosis, gout, and osteomalacia in people with type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Recent surveys show that about 12% of Americans are currently taking a
With such an increased interest in these medications — including Ozempic, Zepbound, Mounjaro, and Wegovy — researchers have been examining other potential health benefits of these drugs outside of type 2 diabetes management and weight loss.
For example, studies have been looking at the use of GLP-1s for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease, treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and
Now, two new studies recently presented at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) offer insights on how GLP-1 medications might influence musculoskeletal health, both positively and negatively.
Their results are yet to appear in a peer-reviewed journal.
One study looked at what type of impact GLP-1 use might have on people undergoing 10 of the most common orthopedic surgeries, including total hip arthroplasty (THA), total knee arthroplasty (TKA), carpal tunnel release, and lumbar fusion.
“GLP-1 medications are now widely used for diabetes and weight management, and their use is expanding rapidly,” Haroun Haque, MS, a third-year medical student at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine and lead investigator of this study, told Medical News Today.
“Because they affect metabolism, inflammation, cardiovascular health, and metabolic function overall, it is important to understand how they influence surgical recovery and musculoskeletal health. As more patients take these medications, surgeons need evidence to guide safe and effective perioperative care,” said Haque.
“We focused on the 10 most common orthopedic procedures because they represent a large portion of musculoskeletal surgical care in the United States,” he continued. “These surgeries frequently involve patients with obesity and metabolic disease, who are most likely to be prescribed GLP-1 medications.”
At the study’s conclusion, researchers found that use of GLP-1 and semaglutide was correlated with significantly lower chances for postoperative emergency department visits, without an increased surgical risk.
“Emergency department visits after surgery are an important indicator of complications and Healthcare utilization,” Haque explained. “The association between GLP-1 use and lower emergency department visits suggests these medications may be linked to improved short-term recovery. Importantly, we did not observe evidence of increased surgical risk, which is reassuring given concerns about perioperative management.”
Additionally, scientists discovered the use of GLP-1s was also linked to significantly lower surgical site infection rates among patients undergoing TKA and THA.
“Infections after total knee and total hip arthroplasty are serious and costly complications,” Haque said. “Seeing lower infection rates in GLP-1 users raises the possibility that improved metabolic control and reduced inflammation may positively influence surgical outcomes. Even small reductions in infection risk could have meaningful clinical impact.”
“GLP-1 medication use among orthopedic patients is increasing rapidly and is projected to continue rising,” he continued. “Our findings suggest these medications may be linked to improved short-term postoperative outcomes; however we cannot establish causality based on these retrospective results and further prospective investigations are needed.”
In the second study, researchers focused on examining how GLP-1 use might impact the risk of developing osteoporosis, gout, or osteomalacia (bone softening) in people with type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Scientists analyzed electronic medical records for more than 73,000 people and found that after 5 years, GLP-1 use was linked to a significantly higher risk of developing osteoporosis, compared to those not taking the medication.
Researchers also found a higher incidence of gout among GLP-1 users, and the greatest relative risk increase was seen for osteomalacia.
“We are just now reaching the precipice where 5- and 10-year follow-up data are becoming available for patients taking GLP-1 medications,” sayid Muaaz Wajahath, a fourth-year medical student at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and primary investigator of this study in a press release.
“Any medication that sees this rapid adoption warrants close examination, particularly in orthopedics where obesity and surgical intervention often overlap, and when the long-term effects of GLP-1 RA exposure on bone and joint health remain poorly understood,” Wajahath detailed.
“Whenever you have a patient who is prone to osteoporosis, gout, or osteomalacia, clinicians should consider bone health surveillance and monitor for delayed-onset complications in at-risk populations,” he added.
“These changes can be implemented immediately and can be an easy fix to potentially prevent these side effects,” said Wajahath.
MNT had the opportunity to speak with Laurie Glasser, MD, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at Hackensack Meridian Health’s Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, as to why GLP-1 use might be linked to a higher risk for osteoporosis, gout, and osteomalacia in people with type 2 diabetes and obesity.
According to Glasser, who was not involved in these studies:
“There have been some reports of decreased
bone mineral density (BMD) associated with weight loss, but the reduction in BMD appears similar to that seen with other weight-loss interventions and does not translate into an increased fracture risk. In addition,meta-analyses suggest that GLP-1 RAs may actually improve bone density in the lumbar spine and hip compared with controls.”
“Any rapid weight loss, including from calorie restriction or bariatric surgery, is likely to be associated with some bone loss, so I do not think blaming GLP-1s is the answer,” she added. “ GLP-1s are extremely helpful drugs for my patients and, when used responsibly, have contributed to many positive outcomes.”
MNT also spoke with Bert Mandelbaum, MD, sports medicine specialist, orthopedic surgeon and co-director of the Regenerative Orthobiologic Center at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles.
In regards to the study looking at GLP-1 use and orthopedic procedure postoperative risk, Mandelbaum, who was likewise not involved in the recent studies, said that these results confirm that doctors are seeing a lot more use of GLP-1 agonists, and in the orthopedic surgical group that they’re basically improving outcomes overall.
“Patient reported outcome scores seem to be better, revision rates are decreased, at least in this population study,” he continued. “So, what can we conclude from that? It’s going to take us a while to really sort out the specificity of everything, but at least the initial studies are showing that there’s benefits to the GLP-1 agonist.”
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Health">chondrocyte . And they figured out the pathway, that it works through the AMPK pathway that has a direct positive effect on the mitochondria and oxidative processes that are to the positive. So it keeps the chondrocyte, which is the cell that preserves cartilage and minimizes the progression of arthritis, and therefore makes its function better.”– Bert Mandelbaum, MD
