A new study analysing data from more than 13,000 patients has found that people using the increasingly popular weight-loss drugs known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1-RAs) have a reduced risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), even after accounting for the medications’ effects on weight loss and overall survival. Researchers presented these findings at the 2026 Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) annual meeting (23–26 April, Chicago, USA).
“As AF continues to affect more patients worldwide, clinicians need new strategies to reduce risk and improve long-term outcomes,” said Kenneth Bilchick (University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA). “These findings suggest GLP-1-RAs may influence heart rhythm through mechanisms beyond weight loss. Understanding those effects could help guide how we approach prevention and treatment of AF in the future.”
As new uses and benefits of GLP-1-RAs continue to emerge, researchers increasingly seek to understand whether these therapies could help prevent or treat AF. GLP-1-RAs are widely prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, and are also known to improve cardiovascular health—in part, through weight loss. However, it is unclear whether their potential benefits for AF are primarily driven by weight reduction or whether the medications may have additional independent cardiovascular effects.
As such, researchers conducted a single-centre retrospective study of 13,034 patients who initiated GLP-1-RA therapy between January 2020 and May 2024. The researchers identified patients through electronic medical records, and used propensity score matching to compare them with similar patients from a cohort of more than 385,000 individuals who had never received GLP-1-RA therapy and had no prior diagnosis of AF.
The study revealed that patients who took GLP-1-RAs experienced significantly better survival than matched patients in the control group. Researchers also found a significantly lower risk of AF among patients taking GLP-1-RAs, with reductions in AF risk remaining consistent regardless of weight change. Patients who lost 10% or more of their body weight, those who lost less than 10%, and those who gained weight while taking GLP-1-RAs, all experienced a reduced risk of AF compared with matched controls.
Among the medications studied, semaglutide showed the strongest association with reduced AF risk compared to liraglutide, dulaglutide, and tirzepatide.
The researchers believe that this study adds to a growing body of research examining the cardiovascular effects of GLP-1-RAs beyond diabetes and weight management—and that, as researchers continue to explore these therapies, future studies will need to evaluate their potential role in AF prevention and management across larger, more diverse patient populations.
