By Dr. Asnat Raziel, bariatric surgeon specializing in obesity treatment, metabolic health and healthy longevity; Director of the Multidisciplinary Center for Obesity Treatment, Assia Medical, Assuta Ramat HaChayal, Tel Aviv
Semaglutide and asthma: what the new study found
Semaglutide and asthma are not two words I expected to see together in the headlines. Drugs in the GLP-1 family are best known for treating diabetes and obesity. GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) is a natural hormone that the gut releases after we eat. It helps regulate blood sugar, fullness and appetite.
Now, however, a large new study points to another intriguing possibility. These drugs may also offer the lungs some degree of protection. The findings were presented in September 2026 at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Barcelona. According to the researchers, treatment with semaglutide was linked to nearly 40% fewer asthma attacks. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy. In addition, flare-ups of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease dropped by about 20%.
A real-world study of tens of thousands of patients
Prof. Chloe Bloom of Imperial College London led the study. Her team analyzed electronic medical records from the United Kingdom, and Dr. Bohee Lee presented the results at the congress.
The researchers ran four parallel studies. Each one included between 20,000 and 22,000 patients. All of them had started either a GLP-1 drug or a diabetes drug from the sulfonylurea class. Sulfonylureas are an older group of medications that make the pancreas release more insulin.
The goal was to look at people who also had asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The researchers asked a simple question: did these patients have fewer breathing attacks after starting treatment? The answer was yes. People taking GLP-1 drugs had fewer asthma attacks and fewer respiratory flare-ups. Semaglutide showed the strongest effect, especially in people with asthma.
How to read the findings with caution
It is important to be precise here. This is an observational study based on real-world data. As a result, it shows a link between the treatment and fewer attacks. However, it does not prove that the drug itself caused the improvement.
Dr. Bloom stressed this point as well. In her words, the findings are encouraging, but they should not change treatment decisions on their own. Moreover, the team presented the data as a conference abstract. That means they have not yet gone through the full review that comes with journal publication.
The link between obesity and lung disease
The connection between obesity and lung health runs deep. Fat in the abdomen and chest can limit how far the lungs expand. It also burdens the breathing muscles and reduces functional lung volume. We see this connection clearly in obstructive sleep apnea, where obesity and airway obstruction feed off each other.
In addition, fat tissue is hormonally and inflammatorily active. It releases substances that promote inflammation throughout the body. These substances may affect the airways and make asthma worse. I have written in detail about the role of chronic inflammation in obesity.
Furthermore, obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome are all tied to poorer asthma control. They also go hand in hand with more symptoms and heavier use of health services. This raises an interesting possibility. A treatment that improves metabolic health might also ease the burden on breathing.
Semaglutide and asthma: how might the drug affect the lungs?
Part of the benefit may come from weight loss. Less belly fat lets the diaphragm move more freely. It also reduces the mechanical load on the chest, so breathing becomes easier. Better blood sugar, lower insulin resistance and improved inflammation markers may also play a part.
At the same time, there may also be a direct mechanism. GLP-1 receptors are found in the lining cells and blood vessels of the lungs. In laboratory studies, these drugs reduced airway inflammation. They also reduced mucus production and the overreactivity of the bronchial tubes.
Still, the current study cannot separate these mechanisms. It does not distinguish between the effect of weight loss, the metabolic improvement and a possible anti-inflammatory effect. Most likely, all of them work together.
The new finding joins earlier research
Back in 2021, an observational study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine looked at adults with asthma and type 2 diabetes. It included 448 patients who started a GLP-1 drug, compared with patients who started other diabetes treatments.
Over six months of follow-up, the GLP-1 group had fewer asthma attacks. This advantage held against all four comparison groups: SGLT-2 inhibitors, DPP-4 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4) inhibitors, sulfonylureas and basal insulin. In addition, GLP-1 users sought medical care for asthma symptoms less often.
In 2025, a broader picture emerged. The journal Respiratory Medicine published a systematic review and meta-analysis of six observational studies with 62,678 patients. According to the review, GLP-1 drugs were linked to about a 48% lower risk of asthma or COPD flare-ups compared with sulfonylureas. The incidence rate ratio was 0.52 (95% confidence interval: 0.42 to 0.64).
Compared with DPP-4 inhibitors, the risk was about 37% lower (ratio 0.63, 95% confidence interval: 0.47 to 0.86). By contrast, the difference versus SGLT-2 inhibitors was not statistically significant. In other words, the new study strengthens a scientific signal that has already appeared in several populations. It also adds information about possible differences between drugs within the same family.
Semaglutide and asthma: what it means for people with obesity
The link between semaglutide and asthma matters most for people who live with obesity, diabetes and an obstructive airway disease at the same time. When there is already a medical reason to take semaglutide, the metabolic improvement may also bring fewer breathing attacks.
This result supports a broader medical view: metabolic health and lung health are closely connected. Treating obesity can benefit many organs, including the heart, liver, kidneys, joints and, it seems, the lungs too. For example, in the SELECT trial, semaglutide reduced major cardiac events in people with obesity and heart disease. A similar picture comes from the SURMOUNT-OSA trials, in which tirzepatide improved sleep apnea. You can read more in my article on how Wegovy protects the heart.
Don’t stop your inhalers
Semaglutide is not a dedicated treatment for asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. That is why you should keep using the inhalers and breathing treatments you were prescribed. Do not start a GLP-1 drug because of lung disease alone. Likewise, do not change your current treatment without talking to your doctor.
For details on these drugs, their approved uses and side effects, see my guide to medications for obesity. It is also worth knowing about Rybelsus, the pill form of semaglutide for diabetes.
The next step: a controlled clinical trial
The researchers are now calling for randomized controlled trials. Such trials need clearly defined respiratory outcomes. These include the number of flare-ups, lung function, symptom severity, steroid use, hospital admissions and quality of life.
Trials like these could determine what is behind the effect. Is it driven mainly by weight loss, by metabolic improvement or by a direct anti-inflammatory action in the lungs? They will also help identify who stands to benefit the most.
The bottom line on semaglutide and asthma
The new research on semaglutide and asthma opens an interesting window into how obesity drugs work. Semaglutide may affect more than appetite, weight and blood sugar. Instead, it may drive a broad change throughout the body, including the airways.
The practical message is positive but measured. People who already need semaglutide for obesity or diabetes may gain a lung benefit as well. Even so, more dedicated clinical trials are needed before we can call the drug a treatment for asthma or COPD.
This article provides general information and is not a substitute for personal medical advice.
References
Weight loss injection semaglutide can reduce asthma attacks by up to 40 per cent
Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes
Tirzepatide for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Obesity
