Efficacy of Liraglutide for Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Non-diabetic Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Liraglutide is commonly used in the management of type 2 diabetes and obesity and has been part of clinical practice for several years. However, evidence on its efficacy and safety in people without diabetes remains limited. The aim of this review is to analyse the efficacy of liraglutide in non-diabetic obese or overweight adults by systematically reviewing and meta-analyzing clinical trials. A systematic peer review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol using PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Meta-analysis was performed using a random effects model in Review Manager 5.7.0 (The Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, UK). The quality of the evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool for observational studies. Publication bias was analyzed using funnel plots. It was registered in PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) under the number CRD42025637238. Eleven randomized clinical trials were included for analysis in this study. Of 92 studies assessed for eligibility, 11 trials were included, with a combined total of 1328 patients; the mean (SD) age was 44.49 (7.04) years, with a proportion of males (21.36%, n = 319) and females (78.77%, n = 1009), respectively. Compared with control groups, a more significant weight loss was seen in liraglutide groups with an overall mean difference of -4.59 kg, 95% confidence interval (CI) -6.02 to -3.15 (I= 86%). The overall analysis results showed that liraglutide improved weight control. There were also significant reductions in waist circumference (-3.22 cm, 95% CI -3.77 to -2.67), BMI (-1.71 kg/m 95% CI -2.45 to -0.96), but not in HbA1c (-0.43%, 95% CI -1.13 to 0.27). Liraglutide effectively reduces body weight, percentage weight loss, waist circumference, and BMI, making it a therapeutic option for the management of non-diabetic patients with obesity and overweight.