GLP-1 Evidence

Evidence map

GLP-1 mechanism: what the evidence base looks like

11 publications, 5 of them trials and 3 syntheses. This page describes the shape of that literature rather than summarising its conclusions.

Updated 4 min read 11 citations

What the evidence on glp-1 mechanism is made of Of 11 publications on this topic, the breakdown by study type: 3 meta-analysis, 5 randomised trial, 2 review, 1 other. 3521meta-analysis (3)randomised trial (5)review (2)other (1)
11 publications, by study type. Volume is not strength — the same count can be a settled question or a pile of commentary, and which one it is depends almost entirely on this breakdown. Harvested from PubMed and Crossref; publication type as recorded by the source.

What this literature is made of

This is a well-developed evidence base: multiple syntheses sitting on a substantial body of trials. Questions here are usually about applicability rather than about whether an effect exists.

The distinction that matters most is between synthesis and primary research. A meta-analysis pools trials and is the closest thing to a settled answer a field produces. A narrative review is one group's reading of the same material and can be selective without being dishonest. Counting them together, which most citation counts do, obscures exactly the thing you want to know.

When the glp-1 mechanism literature was published Publication years for the 11 papers on this topic, grouped into bands from before 2015 through to 2023 onwards. 2023 onwards8 papers2015-20192 papers2020-20221 papers
Still active. The most recent paper here is from 2026, so this is a field where an answer written today may not hold for long. Publication years as recorded by PubMed and Crossref.

How this page is built

Everything above is computed from the citations this site harvested from PubMed and Crossref, not written by hand. When the weekly harvest finds a new paper on this topic, these counts change and the characterisation changes with them. That is the point: a hand-written claim about how strong an evidence base is starts decaying the day it is written.

Publication type is taken as the source records it. That is imperfect — journals label inconsistently, and a paper indexed as a "review" may be a systematic one — so treat the bands as approximate. They are accurate enough to distinguish a trial literature from a commentary literature, which is the distinction that matters.

The strongest work on this topic

Ordered by study design first, then recency. The full set is listed in the references below.

  1. Perioperative management of patients taking glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists: Society for Perioperative Assessment and Quality Improvement (SPAQI) multidisciplinary consensus statement — Oprea AD, Ostapenko LJ, Sweitzer B et al., 2025, systematic review
  2. Quantified Metrics of Gastric Emptying Delay by Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Agonists: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis With Insights for Periprocedural Management — Hiramoto B, McCarty TR, Lodhia NA et al., 2024, meta-analysis
  3. Weight loss efficiency and safety of tirzepatide: A Systematic review — Lin F, Yu B, Ling B et al., 2023, meta-analysis
  4. Effect of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist liraglutide, compared to caloric restriction, on appetite, dietary intake, body fat distribution and cardiometabolic biomarkers: A randomized trial in adults with obesity and prediabetes — Silver HJ, Olson D, Mayfield D et al., 2023, randomised controlled trial
  5. Discovery of ecnoglutide - A novel, long-acting, cAMP-biased glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog — Guo W, Xu Z, Zou H et al., 2023, randomised controlled trial
  6. The effect of semaglutide 2.4 mg once weekly on energy intake, appetite, control of eating, and gastric emptying in adults with obesity — Friedrichsen M, Breitschaft A, Tadayon S et al., 2021, randomised controlled trial
  7. LY3298176, a novel dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: From discovery to clinical proof of concept — Coskun T, Sloop KW, Loghin C et al., 2018, randomised controlled trial
  8. Effects of once-weekly semaglutide on appetite, energy intake, control of eating, food preference and body weight in subjects with obesity — Blundell J, Finlayson G, Axelsen M et al., 2017, randomised controlled trial
  9. GLP-1 Receptor Agonists — Rosen CJ, Ingelfinger JR, 2026, review
  10. Mechanisms of GLP-1 Receptor Agonist-Induced Weight Loss: A Review of Central and Peripheral Pathways in Appetite and Energy Regulation — Moiz A, Filion KB, Tsoukas MA et al., 2025, review
How much research is there on glp-1 mechanism?
11 publications are indexed here, of which 5 are trials and 3 are syntheses.
Does more research mean a stronger conclusion?
No. Composition matters more than volume — five randomised trials support a claim far better than fifty commentaries, and citation counts do not distinguish between them.
How current is this?
The most recent paper indexed here is from 2026. The set is refreshed weekly from PubMed and Crossref.
Why does this page not tell me the answer?
Because summarising a literature into a conclusion requires reading it, and doing that automatically is how confident nonsense gets published. This page tells you how much weight a conclusion could bear; the articles on this site do the interpreting.

References

Every citation below links to the original peer-reviewed record on PubMed or via DOI. Nothing here is a substitute for medical advice.

  1. Perioperative management of patients taking glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists: Society for Perioperative Assessment and Quality Improvement (SPAQI) multidisciplinary consensus statement Oprea AD, Ostapenko LJ, Sweitzer B, et al. · British journal of anaesthesia · 2025 · Systematic review DOIPubMed 40379536Full text
  2. Quantified Metrics of Gastric Emptying Delay by Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Agonists: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis With Insights for Periprocedural Management Hiramoto B, McCarty TR, Lodhia NA, et al. · The American journal of gastroenterology · 2024 · Meta-analysis DOIPubMed 38634551Full text
  3. Weight loss efficiency and safety of tirzepatide: A Systematic review Lin F, Yu B, Ling B, et al. · PloS one · 2023 · Meta-analysis DOIPubMed 37141329Full text
  4. Discovery of ecnoglutide - A novel, long-acting, cAMP-biased glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog Guo W, Xu Z, Zou H, et al. · Molecular metabolism · 2023 · Randomised controlled trial DOIPubMed 37364710Full text
  5. Effect of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist liraglutide, compared to caloric restriction, on appetite, dietary intake, body fat distribution and cardiometabolic biomarkers: A randomized trial in adults with obesity and prediabetes Silver HJ, Olson D, Mayfield D, et al. · Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2023 · Randomised controlled trial DOIPubMed 37188932Full text
  6. The effect of semaglutide 2.4 mg once weekly on energy intake, appetite, control of eating, and gastric emptying in adults with obesity Friedrichsen M, Breitschaft A, Tadayon S, et al. · Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2021 · Randomised controlled trial DOIPubMed 33269530Full text
  7. LY3298176, a novel dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: From discovery to clinical proof of concept Coskun T, Sloop KW, Loghin C, et al. · Molecular metabolism · 2018 · Randomised controlled trial DOIPubMed 30473097Full text
  8. Effects of once-weekly semaglutide on appetite, energy intake, control of eating, food preference and body weight in subjects with obesity Blundell J, Finlayson G, Axelsen M, et al. · Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2017 · Randomised controlled trial DOIPubMed 28266779Full text
  9. GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Rosen CJ, Ingelfinger JR · The New England journal of medicine · 2026 · Review DOIPubMed 41931049
  10. Mechanisms of GLP-1 Receptor Agonist-Induced Weight Loss: A Review of Central and Peripheral Pathways in Appetite and Energy Regulation Moiz A, Filion KB, Tsoukas MA, et al. · The American journal of medicine · 2025 · Review DOIPubMed 39892489
  11. GLP-1 increases preingestive satiation via hypothalamic circuits in mice and humans Kim KS, Park JS, Hwang E, et al. · Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2024 · Journal article DOIPubMed 38935778Full text