To investigate the safety and efficacy of long-acting glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists in overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes from July 2021 to June 2022 were randomly divided into control group (metformin) and experimental group (metformin + dulaglitide or semaglutide). Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare Hemoglobin A1c, fasting plasma glucose and body mass index (BMI) of patients before treatment, 6 months and 12 months after treatment. The adverse reactions of patients before treatment and 12 months after treatment were analyzed. The time effect of Hemoglobin A1c, fasting plasma glucose and BMI in the control group (n = 35) and the experimental group (n = 32) were statistically significant (P < .001), and the intergroup effect of BMI was statistically significant (P < .05). The interaction effect of BMI was statistically significant (P < .001). The BMI level of the experimental group was lower than that of the control group at 6 and 12 months after treatment (P < .001). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the 2 groups (P > .05). Long-acting glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists, such as dulaglitide and semaglutide, not only reduce glycosylated hemoglobin levels, but also significantly improve BMI in overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes.