If you have diabetes and take GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for five years, you might be more likely to develop hip or knee arthritis—even if you're not overweight. These meds help with blood sugar and weight, but this claim says they could also hurt your joints over time.

People with knee arthritis and type 2 diabetes who take GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide tend to lose a lot more weight—about 7 extra kilograms—over nearly 8 years compared to those not taking them, and many more of them achieve meaningful weight loss.

If you're obese but don't have diabetes, taking GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for five years doesn't seem to raise your risk of joint problems like arthritis or needing joint surgery — so if joint issues show up in people with diabetes on these drugs, it might be because of their diabetes, not the drug itself.

People with diabetes—whether they're obese or not—who take GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic might end up needing more joint injections over five years than similar people not on these meds, which could mean their joint pain is worse even if their blood sugar and metabolism are just as well controlled.

People with knee arthritis and diabetes who take GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic seem to need knee surgery less often — 1.7% of them did over 6 years, compared to 5.9% who didn’t take the drugs — and some of this benefit comes from losing weight.

These diabetes drugs might actually heal worn-down joints in arthritis, not just reduce pain, by working directly on the joint tissue in ways that matter for people.