Longevity & AgingGLP-1 Drugs Linked to Lower Diabetic Foot Amputation Risk Than SGLT2 Inhibitors
A large real-world study comparing two popular diabetes drug classes found that GLP-1 receptor agonists were associated with meaningfully lower risks of serious diabetic foot complications than SGLT2 inhibitors. Over a five-year follow-up, people taking SGLT2 inhibitors had 30% higher odds of bone infections in the foot, 11% higher odds of foot ulcers, and 24% higher odds of lower-limb amputation compared to GLP-1 users. Interestingly, SGLT2 inhibitors were tied to slightly lower rates of new nerve damage, yet this did not translate into better foot outcomes, highlighting how complex diabetic foot disease really is. For the millions of type 2 diabetes patients on these medications, these findings could meaningfully influence prescribing decisions around limb health.
