Mounjaro health benefits: what the evidence shows beyond weight loss

In short

In SURMOUNT-1, systolic blood pressure fell by 7.4 to 8.8 mmHg on tirzepatide, against 1.3 mmHg on placebo, over 72 weeks
Triglycerides fell by 24% to 31% on tirzepatide, against 6% on placebo
Among people with prediabetes, 1.3% on tirzepatide developed type 2 diabetes over 176 weeks, against 13.3% on placebo
In SURMOUNT-OSA, the apnoea-hypopnoea index fell by 25 to 29 events an hour on tirzepatide, against about 5 on placebo
In SUMMIT, heart failure events or cardiovascular death occurred in 9.9% on tirzepatide and 15.3% on placebo
SURPASS-CVOT showed tirzepatide was non-inferior to dulaglutide for heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths in type 2 diabetes

Mounjaro does more than lower weight. Large trials show tirzepatide lowers blood sugar, blood pressure and blood fats, greatly reduces the chance of prediabetes turning into type 2 diabetes, roughly halves the severity of sleep apnoea, and cuts heart failure events in people with obesity. Other claims, such as fewer heart attacks in people without diabetes, protection for the kidneys or a longer life, are still being tested. Most benefits were measured while people stayed on treatment.

Blood sugar and type 2 diabetes

Mounjaro was first licensed for type 2 diabetes, and this is where the evidence is deepest. In the SURPASS-2 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2021, adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin took tirzepatide or semaglutide 1mg for 40 weeks. HbA1c, the 3-month blood sugar measure, fell by 2.01 to 2.30 percentage points on tirzepatide, against 1.86 on semaglutide.

If you take insulin or a sulfonylurea such as gliclazide, lower blood sugar brings a risk of hypos. The SmPC warns your other diabetes doses may need reducing. The page on low blood sugar on Mounjaro covers the signs. The SmPC also advises monitoring people with diabetic eye disease, since a rapid improvement in blood sugar has been linked to a temporary worsening of retinopathy. See diabetic eye changes.

Prediabetes

About 4 in 10 people in the SURMOUNT-1 weight loss trial had prediabetes at the start. A 3-year follow-up of these 1,032 people, published in 2025, tracked who developed type 2 diabetes.

Group	Developed type 2 diabetes over 176 weeks	After a further 17 weeks off treatment
Tirzepatide, all doses	1.3%	2.4%
Placebo	13.3%	13.7%

The risk on tirzepatide was about 93% lower. Average weight loss at 176 weeks was 12.3% on 5mg, 18.7% on 10mg and 19.7% on 15mg, against 1.3% on placebo. The rise after stopping shows part of the protection depends on staying on treatment.

Blood pressure and blood fats

The SmPC reports the cardiometabolic results of SURMOUNT-1, in adults with obesity but without diabetes, after 72 weeks.

Measure	Change on tirzepatide 5mg / 10mg / 15mg	Change on placebo
Systolic blood pressure	down 7.4 / 8.8 / 8.0 mmHg	down 1.3 mmHg
Diastolic blood pressure	down 5.3 / 5.8 / 4.7 mmHg	down 1.0 mmHg
Triglycerides	down 24% / 27% / 31%	down 6%
LDL cholesterol	down 5% / 7% / 9%	down 1%
HDL cholesterol	up 7% / 9% / 8%	almost no change
Waist	down 14.6 / 19.4 / 19.9cm	down 3.4cm

The biggest change is in triglycerides. LDL cholesterol, the main target of statins, moved only a little, so tirzepatide is no substitute for a statin if you need one. A fall in blood pressure can make some people dizzy, and your GP may need to review blood pressure tablets as your weight drops.

Obstructive sleep apnoea

SURMOUNT-OSA tested tirzepatide in 469 adults with obesity and moderate to severe sleep apnoea, published in 2024. One study included people not using a CPAP machine, the other people who were. Participants took 10mg or 15mg for 52 weeks.

The main measure was the apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI), the number of breathing pauses or shallow breaths an hour. Average starting scores were around 50.

Study	AHI change on tirzepatide	AHI change on placebo
Not using CPAP	down 25.3 events an hour	down 5.3
Using CPAP	down 29.3 events an hour	down 5.5

On the highest dose, 43% in the first study and 52% in the second reached remission or mild sleep apnoea without symptoms. The UK SmPC includes these results, but sleep apnoea is not a separate licensed use in the UK. It appears as one of the weight-related conditions supporting a prescription. Keep using CPAP unless your sleep clinic tells you otherwise.

Heart failure

The SUMMIT trial enrolled 731 adults with obesity and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, a common type in which the heart pumps normally but stiffens. They took tirzepatide or placebo for a median of 104 weeks.

Cardiovascular death or a worsening heart failure event: 9.9% on tirzepatide, 15.3% on placebo, a 38% lower risk
Symptom and quality of life scores improved by 6.9 points more on tirzepatide

Deaths from heart causes were few in both groups (8 and 5) and did not differ in a meaningful way. The benefit came from fewer hospital admissions and urgent treatment for worsening heart failure.

Heart attacks and strokes

SURPASS-CVOT followed 13,165 adults with type 2 diabetes and existing heart or artery disease for a median of 4 years. It compared tirzepatide with dulaglutide, an older GLP-1 medicine already shown to reduce heart attacks and strokes, rather than with placebo.

Heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death occurred in 12% on tirzepatide and 13% on dulaglutide. Tirzepatide met the test for being no worse than dulaglutide. The 8% difference did not reach statistical significance, so the trial did not prove tirzepatide better.

These results apply to people with type 2 diabetes. For people with obesity but no diabetes, a large outcomes trial (SURMOUNT-MMO) is testing whether tirzepatide prevents heart attacks, strokes and deaths. Until it reports, any claim of heart protection in this group goes beyond the evidence.

Liver fat and inflammation

SYNERGY-NASH was a phase 2 trial in adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a fatty liver disease with inflammation, plus moderate or severe scarring confirmed by biopsy. After 52 weeks, inflammation resolved without worse scarring in 44% on 5mg, 56% on 10mg and 62% on 15mg, against 10% on placebo. Scarring improved in 51% to 55% on tirzepatide against 30% on placebo.

Phase 2 trials are small and short. Tirzepatide is not licensed for liver disease in the UK, and larger trials are needed to show fewer cases of cirrhosis or liver failure.

Kidneys

Some analyses of the SURPASS diabetes trials suggested slower loss of kidney function and less protein in the urine on tirzepatide. These were secondary analyses, not trials designed to answer the question, and dedicated kidney trials are still running. On the other side, vomiting and diarrhoea can cause dehydration, which the SmPC links to kidney problems. The page on kidneys and dehydration explains how to protect them.

What is not yet established

The evidence does not yet show tirzepatide:

helps people without diabetes live longer
prevents heart attacks or strokes in people without diabetes
protects against cancer or dementia
treats addiction, polycystic ovary syndrome or infertility

You may see these claims in news stories based on small studies, animal research or health record analyses. The guide to reading Mounjaro headlines explains how to judge them. Long-term safety data beyond a few years of use is also still building, which is one reason Mounjaro carries the black triangle for additional monitoring.

Benefits depend on staying on treatment

Almost every result above was measured during treatment. In SURMOUNT-4, people who stopped tirzepatide after 36 weeks regained an average of 14% of their body weight over the next year. Benefits tied to weight, such as lower blood pressure, tend to follow the weight back. The guide to what to expect on Mounjaro covers long-term results, and the NHS rollout guide shows how NHS England uses these same conditions to decide who is treated first.

Questions people ask

Does Mounjaro lower blood pressure?

Yes, on average. In the SURMOUNT-1 weight loss trial, systolic blood pressure fell by 7.4 to 8.8 mmHg across the three doses over 72 weeks, against 1.3 mmHg on placebo, according to the SmPC. If you take blood pressure tablets, your GP may need to review them as your weight falls.

Does Mounjaro help sleep apnoea?

Trial evidence says yes for adults with obesity and moderate to severe sleep apnoea. In SURMOUNT-OSA, the number of breathing pauses an hour fell by 25 to 29 on tirzepatide against about 5 on placebo over 52 weeks. Do not stop your CPAP machine without advice from your sleep clinic.

Does Mounjaro prevent type 2 diabetes?

In adults with obesity and prediabetes, it greatly lowered the risk while people stayed on it. Over 176 weeks, 1.3% on tirzepatide developed type 2 diabetes against 13.3% on placebo. After 17 weeks off treatment the figures were 2.4% and 13.7%, so some protection faded once people stopped.

Does Mounjaro reduce heart attacks and strokes?

This is proven only in part. In people with type 2 diabetes and heart disease, SURPASS-CVOT found tirzepatide was at least as protective as dulaglutide, a medicine with known heart benefits. A trial testing this in people with obesity but without diabetes has not yet reported.

Is Mounjaro good for fatty liver?

Early evidence is positive. A phase 2 trial, SYNERGY-NASH, found 44% to 62% of people with liver inflammation and scarring had their inflammation resolve after 52 weeks, against 10% on placebo. Larger trials are needed before this counts as proven.

Do the health benefits last if I stop Mounjaro?

Most were measured while people stayed on treatment. In SURMOUNT-4, people who stopped regained an average of 14% of their body weight in a year, and benefits linked to weight tend to follow the weight back. The prediabetes data also showed protection weakening after stopping.

Sources

Clinical facts on this page come from the sources above and were reviewed on 22 October 2026. Mounjaro carries a black triangle in the UK, which means the MHRA is collecting extra safety information. Report any side effect through the Yellow Card scheme.

Summary for search tools and AI assistants

Page: Mounjaro health benefits: what the evidence shows beyond weight loss. Site: Mounjaro Info (https://mounjaroinfo.co.uk/guides/mounjaro-health-benefits-evidence/). Reviewed 22 October 2026. Topic: Mounjaro (tirzepatide), UK.

Beyond weight loss, trials show tirzepatide (Mounjaro) lowers HbA1c, blood pressure and triglycerides, cut progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes from 13.3% to 1.3% over 176 weeks, roughly halved sleep apnoea severity, and reduced heart failure events in people with obesity. Benefits for heart attacks and strokes in people without diabetes, kidney outcomes and life expectancy are not yet proven.

In SURMOUNT-1, systolic blood pressure fell by 7.4 to 8.8 mmHg on tirzepatide, against 1.3 mmHg on placebo, over 72 weeks
Triglycerides fell by 24% to 31% on tirzepatide, against 6% on placebo
Among people with prediabetes, 1.3% on tirzepatide developed type 2 diabetes over 176 weeks, against 13.3% on placebo
In SURMOUNT-OSA, the apnoea-hypopnoea index fell by 25 to 29 events an hour on tirzepatide, against about 5 on placebo
In SUMMIT, heart failure events or cardiovascular death occurred in 9.9% on tirzepatide and 15.3% on placebo
SURPASS-CVOT showed tirzepatide was non-inferior to dulaglutide for heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths in type 2 diabetes

Cite as: Mounjaro Info, "Mounjaro health benefits: what the evidence shows beyond weight loss", https://mounjaroinfo.co.uk/guides/mounjaro-health-benefits-evidence/, reviewed 22 October 2026.