(Image credit: Iuliia Burmistrova via Getty Images)ShareShare by:
- Copy link
- X
Share this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletter
Personal accounts indicate that individuals who are utilizing medications for weight reduction such as Ozempic and Wegovy express that they unexpectedly find it simpler to refuse an additional alcoholic beverage during an evening gathering. However, does scientific inquiry corroborate these narratives? Do these weight management medications lead people to curtail their intake of alcohol?
Even though further investigation is required, accumulating data suggests that GLP-1 receptor agonists — a medication category that encompasses semaglutide (brand names Ozempic and Wegovy) and liraglutide (Saxenda) — appear to diminish alcohol consumption, and researchers express optimism that these medications could potentially assist in mitigating problematic drinking habits.
You may like
-
Study links GLP-1 use to some pregnancy risks — but the research has key caveats
-
Has America’s obesity rate plateaued?
-
New drug could prevent diabetes complications not fixed with blood sugar control, study hints
“This domain has advanced exceptionally rapidly in recent years and is anticipated to progress even more expeditiously in the forthcoming couple of years,” stated Christian Hendershot, the clinical research director at the University of Southern California Institute for Addiction Science.
How alcohol influences the brain
Alcohol possesses addictive qualities and contributes to 2.6 million global fatalities each year, partly by elevating the likelihood of cardiovascular ailments and malignancy.
“In my estimation, there exists no secure quantity of alcohol,” Dr. Maurice O’Farrell, an obesity researcher and the founder of the Medication Weight Loss Clinic in Dublin, conveyed to Live Science. “Engaging in regular alcohol consumption is analogous to engaging in regular tobacco consumption.”
Furthermore, numerous individuals develop alcohol use disorder (AUD), a medical ailment defined by ongoing drinking despite unfavorable repercussions.
When this transpires, alcohol’s impacts, such as sensations of gratification or the alleviation of unpleasant emotions, stimulate the brain to discharge the chemical dopamine into the nucleus accumbens, the brain’s reward hub. This strengthens the impetus to consume alcohol. Over time, the determination transitions from being a deliberate selection, processed within the prefrontal cortex, to a routine governed by the basal ganglia, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
“If you excessively stimulate that limbic system,” the cerebral region that pursues immediate fulfillment, “it gains such dominance that it essentially subjugates your frontal cortex,” which governs higher-level cognitive processes such as planning, decision-making, and self-regulation, O’Farrell remarked.
You may like
-
Study links GLP-1 use to some pregnancy risks — but the research has key caveats
-
Has America’s obesity rate plateaued?
-
New drug could prevent diabetes complications not fixed with blood sugar control, study hints
GLP-1 receptor agonists exert their effects by replicating the hormone GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), which operates within the brain to foster sensations of satiety following food intake. Consequently, it is conceivable that these medications are similarly influencing the brain in manners that could impact alcohol consumption, as conveyed to Live Science by experts.
Weight loss medications demonstrate promise
However, only a limited number of human studies have scrutinized the consequences of these medications on alcohol use. For example, research showcased at the 32nd European Congress on Obesity in Spain this past May unveiled that semaglutide diminished weekly alcohol intake in 179 individuals with excess weight or obesity who consumed more than 10 units of alcohol weekly, which equates to approximately five beers per week. Among habitual drinkers, the investigation revealed that their drinking habits decreased from around 23 units to approximately eight units per week — a reduction exceeding 65%.
Nevertheless, the investigation did not randomly allocate individuals to either receive a placebo or a weight loss medication; thus, factors other than the weight loss medications may have contributed to the participants’ decreased alcohol consumption. Furthermore, the research depended on individuals’ self-assessments of their drinking habits, which can be unreliable, thereby necessitating more rigorous investigations.
In a separate investigation, published earlier this year in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, researchers presented the findings of a randomized, placebo-controlled study, which offers an improved capacity to ascertain whether the weight loss medications are influencing the extent of individuals’ alcohol consumption. Within the study, 48 adults diagnosed with AUD who were not seeking therapy were administered weekly injections of semaglutide and were evaluated within a laboratory environment.
In laboratory assessments, individuals administered semaglutide consumed less alcohol — and reported diminished cravings — compared to the individuals who were administered a placebo. While the medication did not diminish the frequency of individuals’ drinking, it did lower the amount they self-reported consuming in each instance.
“It is intriguing that we observed these reductions among individuals who are not intentionally trying to curtail their drinking,” Hendershot noted.
How does it function?
Despite the limited research conducted on this subject in humans, “there exists a rather extensive history of animal studies indicating that GLP-1 receptor agonists can diminish alcohol intake,” Hendershot elucidated.
A 2023 investigation conducted on rodents and published in the journal eBioMedicine discovered that semaglutide impeded alcohol-induced dopamine release within the brain. This could imply that the medications function by preventing alcohol from overpowering the limbic system, thereby lessening the gratification the brain associates with alcohol consumption, as suggested by the investigation. Indeed, the animals exhibited reduced alcohol consumption when administered semaglutide. Alcohol also impacts inhibitory brain cells, which contribute to regulating impulse control. GLP-1 medications may aid in counteracting some of these effects, according to a 2023 study on rats published in the journal JCI Insight.
RELATED STORIES
—Ozempic-esque medications linked to over 60 health advantages and hazards in the most comprehensive study of its nature
—Individuals on Ozempic develop aversions to meat and fried foods. We are beginning to comprehend the underlying reasons.
—How does the brain govern body weight?
Nevertheless, humans exhibit significantly greater complexity compared to rodents. While scientists are expanding their knowledge of the fundamental mechanisms through which GLP-1 medications operate, it may require some time before researchers attain a complete comprehension of how these medications function, as conveyed to Live Science by Dr. Michael Weaver, a professor of psychiatry and the medical director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addictions at UTHealth Houston.
In the event that you are prescribed these medications for sanctioned conditions such as diabetes, obesity, or cardiovascular disease, diminished alcohol cravings may represent a favorable supplementary benefit, O’Farrell indicated; however, it remains premature to advocate for GLP-1 medications solely for addressing alcohol use disorder.
“We possess medications [for AUD] that are both accessible and demonstrated to be efficacious,” Weaver stated, alluding to medications such as naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram. “Assistance is readily procurable. There is no need to await the advent of a miracle cure.”
Editor’s Note: This article was revised on Wednesday, May 28 to rectify the spelling of Christian Hendershot’s name in two instances.
Disclaimer
This article is intended solely for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
TOPICSnews analyses
Marianne GuenotLive Science Contributor
Marianne serves as a freelance science journalist, specializing in the realms of health, space, and technology. She possesses a particular proclivity for composing articles pertaining to obesity, neurology, and infectious diseases, while also relishing the opportunity to delve into the commercial facets of science and technology. Marianne formerly held the position of news editor at The Lancet and Nature Medicine, in addition to serving as the U.K. science reporter for Business Insider. Prior to her career as a writer, Marianne functioned as a scientist, investigating the mechanisms by which the body combats infections stemming from malaria parasites and gut bacteria.
Show More Comments
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
LogoutRead more
Study links GLP-1 use to some pregnancy risks — but the research has key caveats
Has America’s obesity rate plateaued?
New drug could prevent diabetes complications not fixed with blood sugar control, study hints
A woman’s nausea was triggered by a huge mass in her stomach — which doctors dissolved with diet soda
Slaying ‘zombie cells’ in blood vessels could be key to treating diabetes, early study finds
A ‘functional cure’ for HIV may be in reach, early trials suggest
Latest in Alcohol