A recent study has found that people taking medications like Ozempic and Wegovy for diabetes or weight loss are less likely to develop alcohol addiction. The study, conducted on around 700,000 individuals who had taken these drugs, suggests that they may also be beneficial for people dealing with various types of addiction.
Ozempic and Wegovy mimic the hormone GLP-1, which is normally released after eating. This hormone reduces appetite and increases insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar levels. Previous animal studies had shown that these drugs could reduce alcohol intake, and now this large human study confirms similar results.
Rong Xu and her team at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, analyzed the health records of about 84,000 people who were taking either semaglutide or another type of anti-obesity medication. They found that people on semaglutide were half as likely to be diagnosed with alcohol addiction. The same pattern was observed in a separate analysis of 600,000 patients with type 2 diabetes who were also taking semaglutide.
Researcher Anders Fink-Jensen noted that these drugs appear to affect the brain's reward system, potentially helping people avoid addiction to alcohol and other substances. However, there are risks. For those who are already lean, drugs like Ozempic could cause dangerously low body weight.
Although the findings are promising, more randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm whether semaglutide and similar drugs can reliably reduce the risk of substance addiction. These medications could be useful not only for managing diabetes and obesity but also for curbing addictions. Still, due to potential side effects and health concerns, their use must be approached with caution.