Your GLP-1 Success May Be Due in Part to Your Genes

Your DNA might help explain how much success you have using a GLP-1. A new study from 23andMe, published in Nature, links common genetic variants to the amount of weight people lose—and how sick they feel—on blockbuster GLP-1 drugs. Analyzing data from 27,885 customers who had used the meds, researchers found that people with a variant in the GLP1R gene lost what the Wall Street Journal calls "a modest amount of additional weight": up to about 3.3 pounds more than those without the variant; the median weight loss was roughly 25 pounds.

That same variant was also tied to higher rates of nausea and vomiting. Another variant, in the GIPR gene, was associated with more side effects when taking Eli Lilly's Zepbound—as much as a 15-fold increased chance of vomiting, per the Washington Post. The researchers write the findings "lay the foundation for precision medicine approaches in the treatment of obesity." Indeed, the Journal reports the results hint at a future in which a gene test could help patients pick the right drug—or skip an expensive one that's unlikely to work well.

23andMe, which filed for bankruptcy protection last year, is already adding GLP-1 "responsiveness" to its "Total Health" product, which the Post describes as "a $499 genetic testing service that includes supervision by a clinician." Still, one obesity researcher tells the Journal the work is promising but preliminary, warning that "the effects are modest and the evidence is not yet sufficient to support using genetic information to guide treatment decisions in routine clinical practice."