Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41861181›Full record

ArticleMedicine2026

Genetic evidence for a causal protective effect of GLP-1 receptor agonists on paralytic ileus but not on other gastrointestinal events.

Bo Yuan, Zhao Yang, Chenmiao Wang, Geng Zong, Jing Qiu, Chengwu Feng, Xin Geng

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Bo YuanShanghai Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Zhao YangShanghai Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Chenmiao WangShanghai Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Geng ZongInstitute of Nutrition, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Jing QiuDepartment of Information, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Chengwu FengCAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Xin GengShanghai Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0009-0008-7429-4706

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The association between glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) and gastrointestinal events remains controversial in observational studies. To address this, our study employed drug-target Mendelian randomization (MR) to investigate the causal relationship between GLP-1RAs and 24 gastrointestinal disorders, supplemented by sensitivity analyses, Cox proportional hazards regression analysis and mediation testing. Using single-nucleotide polymorphisms significantly associated with GLP1R gene expression as instrumental variables, we mimicked the lifelong pharmacological effects of GLP-1RAs. The significant causal association was further examined by the association study using weighted polygenic scores (PGSs) for GLP1R expression by the Cox proportional hazards regression model in UK Biobank (UKB). Our results revealed that genetically proxied GLP-1RA effects were significantly associated with a lower risk of paralytic ileus (log(OR) = -1.474, 95% CI = (-2.164, -0.784), P = 2.86 × 10-5). The direction of the association was further supported by Cox proportional hazards model using PGSs in the UKB, though the association did not reach significance (P > .05). According to two-step mediation analysis, glycated hemoglobin A1c and body mass index only mediated 1.58% and 0.52% of the protective effect of GLP-1RAs on paralytic ileus. Unlike observational studies, our MR analysis found no causal links between GLP-1R expression and the other gastrointestinal events including cholelithiasis, pancreatitis and so on. By overcoming confounding biases inherent in observational research, this study provides genetic evidence supporting the causal protective effect of GLP-1 receptor agonists on paralytic ileus and highlights the need to reevaluate GLP-1RA-associated gastrointestinal risks in clinical contexts.

Indexed as

Gastrointestinal DiseasesGlucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor AgonistsIntestinal Pseudo-ObstructionGenetic Risk ScoreGlucagon-Like Peptide-1 ReceptorHumansMendelian Randomization AnalysisPolymorphism, Single NucleotideProportional Hazards ModelsGLP1R protein, humanGlucagon-Like Peptide-1 ReceptorGlucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonistsdrug targetgastrointestinal diseasesGLP-1 receptor agonistsMendelian randomizationparalytic ileusweight loss

Identifiers

PMID41861181
PMCPMC13008193

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.