03/26/2026
One in eight American adults now takes a GLP-1 drug. About half of them will stop within a year. Most will assume that quitting simply reverses whatever benefits they gained, a straightforward metabolic reset. A large new study published today in BMJ Medicine suggests the reality is considerably more troubling.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis followed more than 333,000 US veterans with type 2 diabetes over three years, tracking what happened to cardiovascular risk when patients stopped or interrupted GLP-1 therapy. They found that discontinuing these medications, even temporarily, was associated with a MEANINGFUL increase in the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death compared to staying on them continuously.