Semaglutide tied to lower fracture risk in diabetes study
A Stanford-led analysis presented at ENDO 2026 found fewer fractures and greater BMI reductions among adults with type 2 diabetes taking semaglutide.
By Priya Raghavan · Science Reporter
3 min read
Adults with type 2 diabetes who took semaglutide had a lower rate of bone fractures than patients using several other weight-loss drugs, according to research presented at ENDO 2026 in Chicago. The finding matters because some earlier research has linked rapid weight loss on GLP-1 drugs with bone thinning and fractures, while the new analysis points to a possible different pattern for semaglutide.
The Endocrine Society said the study found semaglutide was associated with a 15% reduction in fractures, along with larger decreases in body mass index, compared with other anti-obesity medications. The researchers said the results do not settle the question and should be tested in prospective studies.
Semaglutide belongs to the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist class, known as GLP-1s, which are used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, according to the Endocrine Society. Earlier studies cited by the group have suggested that fast weight loss with GLP-1 medicines can be accompanied by thinner bones and fractures, while slower, more moderate weight loss may help preserve bone mass.
Jairo Noreña, M.D., a former endocrinology fellow at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, California, led the analysis with colleagues. The Endocrine Society said the Stanford researchers wanted to compare semaglutide’s effect on bone outcomes with older anti-obesity medicines because semaglutide is known to produce greater weight loss than previous generations of such drugs.
“Bone fractures are painful, expensive and can seriously affect quality of life—especially as people get older,” Noreña said in the Endocrine Society release. “We hope this study encourages monitoring of bone health in weight-loss programs.”
The team used the Atropos Health Eos electronic health record dataset for a retrospective cohort analysis, according to the Endocrine Society. The dataset covers 161 million patients treated in U.S. community hospitals and academic medical centers from January 2016 through December 2023.
The study included adults 18 and older with type 2 diabetes who had no previous fractures and no use of osteoporosis medicines, the Endocrine Society said. The semaglutide group included 26,324 patients. The comparison group included 33,555 patients treated with dulaglutide, phentermine/topiramate or bupropion/naltrexone, and those patients had no prior semaglutide use.
According to the Endocrine Society, patients taking semaglutide had greater BMI reductions than the comparison group. The semaglutide group also had 794 fractures, compared with 1,045 in the control group.
The study was observational, meaning it can show an association but cannot prove semaglutide caused the lower fracture rate. Noreña described the work as an early step toward understanding how weight loss from semaglutide may affect bone health in people with type 2 diabetes.
“This work is an important early step toward understanding the impact of semaglutide-induced weight loss on bone health in patients with type 2 diabetes,” Noreña said.
This story draws on original reporting from Medical Xpress.