Biostatistician, clinical epidemiologist
St Louis, MO
Joined March 2017
- Tweets386
- Following63
- Followers482
- Likes526
Yan Xie retweeted
Can Ozempic prevent cancer? Several large studies suggest it might. But the excitement is running ahead of the evidence.
In @ConversationUS, I explain what the evidence actually shows and why these studies are so easy to misread.
theconversation.com/can-ozem…
Yan Xie retweeted
Do GLP-1 drugs increase the risk of vision loss?
Specifically, a condition called NAION: a sudden loss of blood flow to the optic nerve that can cause vision loss.
We looked at this in 588,000 people.
The answer, in our new @JAMANetworkOpen paper, is yes. 🧵
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam…
Yan Xie retweeted
Do GLP-1 drugs cause pancreatitis? Trials have not shown a clear increase. Reports from patients say yes. Observational studies are split.
We looked at this in 333,000 people.
The answer, in our new @BMJMedicine, is more interesting than yes or no.
bmjmedicine.bmj.com/content/…
🧵
Yan Xie retweeted
Many people don't realize that environmental stressors like air pollution, extreme temperatures, and wildfire smoke increase the risk of kidney diseases.
Here is a terrific review in @NatRevNeph led by my mentee turned collaborator Whanhee Lee.
nature.com/articles/s41581-0…
Yan Xie retweeted
A new finding after stopping GLP-1 drugs in a large cohort with Type 2 diabetes: rapid erosion of CV benefit/protection
New @bmj_latest by @zalaly @Biostayan
bmjmedicine.bmj.com/content/…
See thread: xitter.cf/zalaly/status/20343230…
What happens to the heart when people stop GLP-1 drugs?
The short answer: nothing good.
New from our team: a study of 330,000+ people in @BMJMedicine
🧵
Yan Xie retweeted
What happens to the heart when people stop GLP-1 drugs?
The short answer: nothing good.
New from our team: a study of 330,000+ people in @BMJMedicine
🧵
Yan Xie retweeted
Best evidence yet that GLP-1 drugs reduce the risk of substance abuse, from >600,00 US Veterans across alcohol, nicotine, opioid, cocaine, cannabis @bmj_latest
@zalaly @Miao_Cai_SLU
bmj.com/content/392/bmj-2025…
Yan Xie retweeted
I wrote about the concept of "drug noise" in @statnews
statnews.com/2026/03/04/glp-…
And the implications in @ConversationUS
theconversation.com/glp-1-dr…
Yan Xie retweeted
📢NEW: In a study of 600,000 people published today in @bmj_latest, we found GLP-1 drugs (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro) associated with reduced risk of addiction across alcohol, opioids, cocaine, cannabis, nicotine—and 50% fewer substance-related deaths.
🧵
bmj.com/content/392/bmj-2025…
Yan Xie retweeted
We have a big paper dropping at 23:30 GMT/6:30 PM ET. It's not about Long Covid, but I think it is one of the most important studies our team has done.
For my Long Covid community: we are working very hard, we have a pipeline of projects, and new work is coming. My team and I are committed to this and will always show up for you.
More at 6:30 ET.
We’re recruiting Postdoctoral Fellows (Clinical Epidemiology & Pharmacoepidemiology)
➡️ Details and application via Indeed: indeed.com/job/postdoctoral-…
These positions are hired through our non-profit foundation.
Yan Xie retweeted
Details & application: indeed.com/job/postdoctoral-…
Rolling review. Apply ASAP! CV, cover letter (w/track preference), 2-3 refs.)
Yan Xie retweeted
🚨 We're hiring Postdoctoral Fellows!
📷Join a high-performing team to tackle high-consequence public health questions — Long COVID, long-term health effects of acute infections, and more — using large-scale, high-quality databases + cutting-edge causal inference.
Two exciting tracks:
🔹 Clinical Epidemiology
🔹 Pharmacoepidemiology
Who's ready to make real-world impact? Details and application in link below📷 #EpiTwitter #Postdoc
👇
Yan Xie retweeted
Honored to speak at @Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute workshop on #LongCOVID. I am energized by our 2 days of brainstorming about the road ahead. The challenges are real, but I’m leaving hopeful. Millions living with Long Covid are counting on our progress—we must keep keep pushing forward. @AzolaAlba @meghanor
Yan Xie retweeted
It gets wilder. One of the researchers who is helping design this new generation of addictive foods is on GLP-1!!!!!!!
Yan Xie retweeted
For decades, the junk food industry has deliberately engineered foods to be addictive. Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs have helped people break free from this cycle. In response, the industry is now searching for ways to counteract the effects of these medications, aiming to design foods that remain addictive even for those on GLP-1.
Wild but true. Fascinating piece in NYTimes Magazine. buff.ly/40QHDnk
Yan Xie retweeted
I talked to Dani Blum from @nytimes about the potential role of GLP-1 drugs on Alzheimer’s disease.
They seem promising, but more data is needed for sure.
nytimes.com/2025/01/31/well/…
Yan Xie retweeted
Thanks to @DKThomp for hosting me on his podcast. We talked about the GLP-1 and more.
Details in this post below.
New ep: Are GLP-1s "the greatest medical breakthrough of the 21st century"?
A new study of 2m Veterans Affairs patients with diabetes found GLP1 use was associated with a reduced risk of:
- substance use disorders
- psychotic disorders
- Alzheimer's and dementia
- clotting and heart attacks
- infectious illnesses
- several respiratory conditions
To be blunt: WTAF is going on here?
How did we turn synthesized Gila monster spit into a drug that seems to control diabetes, promote weight loss, and have such a absurdly wide range of positive effectiveness?
Today we speak with @zalaly, an author of the new paper. What did his research look at? Why should we trust it? Where was the strongest signal? What new risks did we uncover? How on earth can a single drug do all of this? And how is it teaching us more deeply about "pleiotropic" medicine—single drugs that have a zillion unrelated positive side effects—and even the nature of willpower and free will in health?
open.spotify.com/episode/0Ut…
Yan Xie retweeted
🚨 ICYMI: Our latest study shows that the popular GLP-1 weight loss drugs (e.g. Ozempic) have broad health benefits — reducing risks of 42 health conditions. They are not without risks — increasing risks of of 19 health conditions.
nature.com/articles/s41591-0…
