Experts say the medications could have several benefits for consumers
A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Eastern Finland the Karolinska Institutet explored the ways that weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy can serve another purpose for consumers: fighting alcohol addiction.
Their work found that those taking the drugs, who also had a history of alcohol use disorder (AUD), had much lower risks of alcohol-related health complications.
The research idea stems from patient observations reporting less alcohol consumption since initiating a semaglutide drug, researcherMarkku Lhteenvuo of the University of Eastern Finland said in a news release.
Similar observations have also been highlighted by scientists in international conferences, so we decided to examine this in more detail.
How does it work?
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 200,000 people in the Swedish registry database that had been diagnosed with AUD between 2006 and 2021. Of that group, over 4,300 had been prescribed semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), and over 2,500 participants were prescribed liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda).
The researchers followed the participants through the end of 2023 to determine the effects the weight loss drug had on their health outcomes.
Ultimately, the weight loss drugs were a positive influence on the participants AUD and overall health.
The risk of hospitalization due to AUD was much lower when the participants were taking the weight loss drugs. Those taking semaglutide had a 36% lower risk of alcohol-related hospitalizations, while those taking liraglutide had a 28% lower risk.
Similarly, these participants had a lower risk of hospitalization related to any kind of substance abuse. Semaglutide patients were 32% less likely to be hospitalized for substance use, and liraglutide patients were 22% less likely to be in the hospital for substance use.
On top of that, the researchers learned that these weight loss drugs led to better AUD outcomes than the drug typically used to treat the condition, naltrexone. The study found that the risk of alcohol or substance abuse-related hospitalizations was 14% lower when taking naltrexone.
Though these findings show a positive correlation between weight loss drugs and AUD outcomes, the researchers say that more work needs to be done in this area.
Our study suggests that besides obesity and diabetes, GLP-1-agonists may also help in the treatment of alcohol and substance use disorders; however, these findings need to be further validated in randomised controlled trials, Lhteenvuo said.
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Posted: 2025-01-27 23:16:38
