A Narrative Review of the Metabolic Benefits of GLP-1 and GIP Receptor Agonists in Obesity.

This narrative review synthesizes the existing literature on the metabolic benefits of GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists in individuals with overweight or obesity. The authors examine evidence supporting these agents' effectiveness for weight reduction and glycemic control, as well as their purported direct effects on multiple organ systems beyond glucose regulation. The review also explores the medium- to long-term implications for metabolic disease outcomes, including considerations of safety and cost-effectiveness with prolonged use. The authors conclude that GLP-1-based therapies show promise for both the improvement and prevention of metabolic disease, while noting that longer-duration studies are needed to broaden approved indications and confirm the safety profile of these agents. As a narrative review, the paper is subject to inherent limitations including potential selection bias in the literature chosen, the absence of a systematic search protocol or meta-analytic pooling, and reliance on the quality and duration of the underlying primary studies, which the authors themselves acknowledge are insufficiently long in many cases.

Why this grade: This is a narrative (non-systematic) review of existing literature, so it does not generate primary human or animal data and is graded accordingly as a review-level synthesis.