Like most people considering a weight loss medication, when I first started looking into Mounjaro, my main focus was on losing weight. I was fed up with the years of yoyo dieting, and after two pregnancies within a few years (and all of the postpartum hormones on top) I was ready to just shed some kilos and just start feeling better. And of course, it's been incredible- if you've seen my past posts you'll know that I'm now within a few kgs of my target weight. and will actually be a healthy bmi for the first time in YEARS. Over the months I've found myself wanting to understand more about how it actually works, and what else it might do. That's meant diving into podcasts with doctors and researchers, reading clinical trial data, and following updates from scientific journals. What surprised me was how many other potential benefits this medication has that go beyond just losing pounds. As I've dug deeper, I kept coming across evidence that it could help with inflammation, brain health, and even protect organs like the liver. These are areas most people don’t think about when starting a weight loss medication, but they matter a lot if you want to feel better overall and stay healthy in the long run.
Inflammation
One study that stood out was published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. Researchers looked at people with type 2 diabetes who were taking Mounjaro and found their inflammation markers dropped significantly. Chronic inflammation is something many of us carry without realizing it, and it can affect everything from joint pain to heart health. Anecdotally, so many people in the Facebook support groups I'm in say that their inflammation is down and their joints and pain feels a lot better, while this isn't something that I've struggled with personally it's amazing to hear of the wonderful things that it's doing for others on this journey. When inflammation sticks around for too long in the body, it can start causing problems. It can wear down your blood vessels, which raises your risk of heart issues like heart attacks or strokes. It also messes with how your body handles blood sugar, which can lead to or worsen diabetes. It might even play a role in how your brain ages, with links to memory problems and conditions like Alzheimer’s so keeping those levels down is something that will benefit everyone, even if you're not having symptoms right now.
Brain
I was skeptical at first when I heard Mounjaro might impact brain health, but there’s solid research behind it. A study in Nature Medicine showed that drugs acting on GLP-1 receptors helped protect brain cells in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease. While Mounjaro hasn’t yet been tested specifically for dementia, it works on the same receptors and improves blood sugar control, which is strongly linked to cognitive health. The way it reduces inflammation and stabilises blood sugar might slow down cognitive decline.
Liver
Fatty liver disease is a condition that’s common in people with obesity or diabetes. It happens when fat builds up in the liver and starts causing damage over time. Some clinical trials have shown that Mounjaro helps reduce fat accumulation in the liver by improving how the body responds to insulin. You might not feel this effect day to day, but protecting your liver is crucial, and it’s one more way this medication supports overall health in ways that don’t always get talked about.
What this means for you
If you’re already on Mounjaro or considering it, these added benefits could make a difference in how you feel not just how you look. Learning about these extra effects really has helped me see my own progress as part of a bigger health picture. It’s worth exploring the research and hearing from experts, whether through podcasts or trial data, so you can understand exactly what this medication might do for you beyond appetite control.
