Ozempic and Crohn’s Disease: Could GLP-1s Help?
Digestive HealthCrohn's Disease

Could GLP-1 Drugs Help People With Crohn's Disease?

Could GLP-1 Drugs Help People With Crohn's Disease?
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Published on December 19, 2025
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Crohn’s disease treatment options continue to expand, and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) are among the new and repurposed drug therapies currently being studied.

 Not only could GLP-1s help you lose any weight you may have gained as a side effect of Crohn’s medication, but these drugs may also lower inflammation — a major factor in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) like Crohn’s.

“GLP-1 medicines were first made to help with diabetes and weight loss, but they might also have some benefits for people with Crohn’s disease,” says Raseen Tariq, MD, a gastroenterologist and an assistant professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition at Virginia Commonwealth University’s school of medicine in Richmond.

Obesity, especially extra fat around the organs and against the abdominal wall (mesenteric fat), may play a role in inflammation and the overall disease course in IBDs like Crohn’s, says Jill Gaidos, MD, the director of clinical research for the Yale Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

Early studies on GLP-1s for Crohn’s have produced intriguing results that suggest there may be promise, but experts want to see more research that shows how GLP-1s affect people with IBD long-term.

Could GLP-1s Reduce Crohn’s Inflammation? What Research Shows

GLP-1s are well known for reducing systemic inflammation in the body, and Crohn's disease is a condition of chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, says Gerome Burke, MD, PhD, the program director for research and reporting at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

 “A medication that can reduce the overall inflammatory response in the body could, in theory, decrease the response in the gut.”
These medications might lessen inflammation, but they may also help your intestines heal in other ways, says Louis Cohen, MD, an associate professor of medicine in gastroenterology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, who is currently performing research on GLP-1s for people with Crohn’s disease.

“Right now we think that GLP-1s may represent a new way of treating Crohn's disease, not through traditional methods that solely target inflammatory pathways,” Dr. Cohen says. Instead, his team is interested in how GLP-1s can trigger changes in the way your body produces energy (metabolic pathways) and repairs tissue, which may promote intestinal healing.

GLP-1s May Decrease Crohn’s Complications

“Early research suggests that some people with Crohn’s who take GLP-1s for weight or diabetes notice better energy, improved lab results, and even milder gut symptoms,” says Dr. Tariq.

In one large research review that included more than 16,000 people with IBD and obesity or type 2 diabetes who took semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic), liraglutide (Saxenda), or tirzepatide (Zepbound), GLP-1 use was associated with significant weight loss and a reduced risk of surgery, compared with people with IBD who did not take these medications. The same review found that GLP-1 users with IBD and a BMI (body mass index) over 30 also had a lower risk of hospitalization.

Another large review had similar findings: Participants with IBD had reduced rates of hospitalization or surgery when taking GLP-1s, though they concluded that additional research was needed to confirm these findings.

 A third research review on people with IBD also concluded that participants who took GLP-1s had a lower risk of IBD-related surgery than those who didn’t take them.

GLP-1s May Work Especially Well for Crohn’s With Diabetes

Besides improving metabolism and reducing inflammation, GLP-1s can lower blood sugar, says Tariq. Because of this effect, GLP-1s may have multiple positive effects for people with both Crohn’s disease and diabetes.

In one study of 3,751 people with both an IBD and type 2 diabetes, researchers found that those who took GLP-1s had less of a need for oral steroids and hospitalizations for IBD than those who took other diabetes treatments.

Not All Research Shows Positive Effects for IBD

Despite some encouraging results, other studies have failed to replicate the advantages of GLP-1s for IBD, and some researchers have concerns about the potential for gastrointestinal (GI) side effects of the drugs.

In one study, 224 people with an IBD took GLP-1s for 12 months. Compared with the 12 months before they started the medication, researchers found no difference in IBD flares, IBD-related hospitalizations or surgeries, medication dosing, or the need for steroids. These participants lost a substantial amount of weight, but didn’t see the same benefits for their IBD.

“It is unclear whether all patients with Crohn's would benefit from these drugs or just patients with existing metabolic complications like diabetes or obesity,” says Cohen. “We think the benefit of these drugs may extend to all patients and this will be studied as part of our ongoing trial.” Cohen also says that people who have a normal weight or are underweight could experience too much weight loss as a GLP-1 side effect.

Besides weight loss, GLP-1s can also cause side effects that affect the GI system.

 “These medications can cause GI side effects such as diarrhea, constipation, nausea, etc., which may lead to concerns about worsening Crohn’s disease and may require additional testing in this patient [group],” says Gaidos.

Future Research Goals

Research continues on both the benefits and risks of taking GLP-1s with an IBD. Current and planned clinical studies will look at how well GLP-1s work for Crohn’s disease, and investigate their long-term safety.

“So far, most evidence comes from retrospective studies or case reports, not from large randomized clinical trials,” says Tariq, who says that experts are still looking to understand:

  • Whether GLP-1s directly reduce intestinal inflammation
  • How GLP-1s interact with the immune system and the gut microbiome
  • Whether they are as effective in people with active Crohn’s disease as with those in remission
Cohen urges caution in interpreting these studies because they are generally not interventional studies, which would start participants on a GLP-1 and then track them to see if their disease improves.

 “What we need are prospective studies where patients with Crohn's disease are given a [GLP-1] to see if it does in fact improve their disease, and we are doing this study right now at Mount Sinai.”

Current research findings show promise, but Tariq encourages her patients to view them as early signals instead of established treatments. “For Crohn’s disease, the next few years of research will tell us whether they have a true anti-inflammatory effect beyond weight loss.”

Should You Talk to Your Doctor About a GLP-1?

It’s important to discuss your health goals with your healthcare team, so you should feel free to ask about trying GLP-1s for Crohn’s disease.

“If a person with Crohn’s disease has obesity or type 2 diabetes, it’s reasonable to discuss GLP-1-based therapy with their gastroenterologist and primary care or endocrine team,” says Tariq. “Patients who have metabolic risk factors such as obesity, insulin resistance, or [metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD)] may see the greatest benefit, because GLP-1s target those pathways.”

But the benefits may vary from person to person, says Dr. Burke. “[For example,] a patient whose main issue is inflammation might benefit more from the anti-inflammatory effect of the drug than a patient whose Crohn's disease has led to strictures, [or] a narrowing of the intestine.”

Since GLP-1s slow food’s movement through the GI tract, this could cause problems for someone with a stricture, says Burke.

 The location and nature of a person's Crohn's disease — whether they’re dealing primarily with inflammation or strictures — will be a major factor in determining if a GLP-1 is a good fit, he says.
Your provider may also recommend against GLP-1s if you are underweight, have active intestinal inflammation, or experience frequent nausea or vomiting, says Tariq.

 “Individual disease behavior and nutritional status should guide the decision.”

The Takeaway

  • GLP-1s decrease inflammation throughout the body, and may improve Crohn’s disease outcomes.
  • Early research has found that taking GLP-1s for Crohn’s may decrease IBD-related hospitalizations, surgeries, and steroid use in people who also have obesity or diabetes.
  • If you want to discuss the possibility of taking GLP-1s for Crohn’s, speak to your healthcare provider, who can determine whether you’re a candidate for treatment, and help you weigh the pros and cons.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
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Ira Daniel Breite, MD

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Ira Daniel Breite, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He is an associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he also sees patients and helps run an ambulatory surgery center.

Dr. Breite divides his time between technical procedures, reading about new topics, and helping patients with some of their most intimate problems. He finds the deepest fulfillment in the long-term relationships he develops and is thrilled when a patient with irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease improves on the regimen he worked with them to create.

Breite went to Albert Einstein College of Medicine for medical school, followed by a residency at NYU and Bellevue Hospital and a gastroenterology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Working in city hospitals helped him become resourceful and taught him how to interact with people from different backgrounds.

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