New study: weight loss injections may help with asthma flare-ups

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A new study suggests GLP-1 drugs like Mounjaro may improve asthma symptoms for those living with obesity. Join us as we unpack the results.

The link between obesity and asthma is well-established. In the US, for instance, nearly 60% of adults with severe asthma are also living with obesity.¹

It's also well-established that losing weight can improve asthma symptoms for those living with obesity.²

Does that mean that GLP-1 weight loss medications, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, can also help?

According to a new study, the answer may be yes – and perhaps not only because of weight loss. The study authors believe that other factors could be at play, too.

What the GLP-1 asthma study found

As reported by Medscape, the new study saw researchers examine medical data from more than 3,000 people worldwide.

Specifically, the researchers looked at people living with asthma and excess weight who did not have diabetes. They studied three years of data, looking for differences in asthma flare-ups between those who did and those who did not use GLP-1 medications.

They found that using GLP-1s was associated with a notable decrease in the risk of asthma flare-ups. This risk reduction ranged from 21% to 25%, depending on weight category:

A 25% reduction in risk for those living with overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9)
A 21% reduction in risk for those living with Class I or Class II obesity (BMI 30 to 39.9)
A 22% reduction in risk for those living with Class III obesity (BMI 40 or more)

Are these results down to weight loss alone?

There's an obvious explanation for these results.

GLP-1 medications are designed to help people lose weight. And we know that weight loss can dramatically improve asthma symptoms. One study reported a post-weight-loss reduction in symptoms of 48% to 100% among people living with asthma and obesity.²

So, in the case of this new study, we can confidently assume that weight loss was a key driver behind the reduced risk of flare-ups.

However, that might not be the only reason. In the study, researchers saw benefits across all weight groups – not just among people with the highest BMIs. That suggests the GLP-1 drugs might have other effects that can help improve asthma symptoms.

What could these other effects be? Well, GLP-1 medications are known to have anti-inflammatory properties.³ And as study author Ruchi Patel told Medscape, there's emerging evidence to suggest that the drugs can reduce airway inflammation specifically.

Right now, however, there's a big 'maybe' hanging over these results – and, especially, the reasons behind them. More research is needed before we can state with any certainty how, why or even if GLP-1s improve asthma symptoms.

What's next?

The new study was very much a first step. To better understand the link between GLP-1s and asthma symptoms, researchers now need to conduct larger, more tightly controlled clinical trials.

However, it does deepen our understanding in one important way. Previous studies on GLP-1s and asthma have also shown benefits, but these studies focused on people living with diabetes. This new study suggests that those benefits could also extend to people without diabetes.

'I would be eager to see prospective randomised trials in non-diabetic patients with obesity-associated asthma in order to determine whether GLP-1 therapies directly improve asthma outcomes and to better understand the underlying mechanisms', study author Ruchi Patel told Medscape.

Semapen is a UK provider of specialised weight loss support, delivered remotely by experts through an easy-to-use weight loss app. For the latest news and weight loss advice, follow our blog.

Sources

1. Peters, U. et al. (2018) "Obesity and asthma" The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 141(4) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2018.02.004

2. Juel, C.T. et al. (2012) "Asthma and obesity: does weight loss improve asthma control? a systematic review" Journal of Asthma and Allergy, 5:21–26 https://doi.org/10.2147/JAA.S32232

3. Mehdi, S.F. et al. (2023) "Glucagon-like peptide-1: a multi-faceted anti-inflammatory agent" Frontiers in Immunology, 14:1148209 https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1148209

This article was reviewed and approved by Lujain Alhassan, Bariatric Nutritionist, on 3 May 2026.

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