Study Suggests Obesity Treatment Can Ease Alcohol Cravings
Medications that have transformed the treatment of obesity may also help people drink less alcohol, according to new government-funded research.
Small Study, Big Potential
The study was small — just 48 adults — and lasted just over two months, so it’s not the final word. Experts say it’s not yet clear how safe these drugs are for people who don’t need to lose weight.
Building on Existing Research
But the results add to evidence from animal studies and reports that people are finding drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy helpful to manage cravings, not just for food, but also for tobacco and alcohol. Scientists are studying these drugs in smokers, people with opioid addiction and cocaine users.
Experts Weigh In
“This is such promising data. And we need more of it,” said study co-author Dr. Klara Klein, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who treats patients with diabetes and obesity. “We frequently will hear that once people start these medications that their desire to drink is very reduced, if not completely abolished.”
How the Drugs Work
The drugs, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, work by mimicking hormones in the gut and the brain to regulate appetite and feelings of fullness. The new study looked at one of these drugs, semaglutide, which is the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy.
Research Methodology
The study recruited people who reported symptoms of alcohol use disorder, such as difficulty controlling their drinking, but weren’t actively seeking treatment for it. First, each person came to a lab where they were served their favorite alcoholic beverage and could drink as much as they wanted over two hours. Then, researchers randomly assigned half the people to get a weekly injection of semaglutide. The other half got sham injections.
Results
During the last weeks of the study, nearly 40% in the semaglutide group reported no heavy drinking days compared with 20% in the placebo group. And in the final lab test, the semaglutide group drank roughly half the amount, on average, compared to those who got the placebo.
Limitations
Everyone in the study was overweight. It’s unclear how safe the drugs would be for a person of normal weight, Klein said. Smokers in the study who got the semaglutide also cut back on cigarettes, noted Luba Yammine of UTHealth Houston, who is leading other research on GLP-1 drugs for people who want to quit smoking.
Conclusion
The study provides promising data on the potential role of these new drugs in treating certain addictions, but more research is needed to confirm the findings. As Dr. Lorenzo Leggio, an NIH researcher, notes, “It is important to keep in mind that we need larger randomized clinical trials to confirm these findings.”
FAQs
Q: Can these drugs be used to treat people who don’t need to lose weight?
A: It’s unclear how safe these drugs would be for people of normal weight.
Q: Can these drugs help people quit smoking?
A: Yes, the study found that smokers in the semaglutide group cut back on cigarettes.
Q: Are there other medications available to treat alcohol use disorder?
A: Yes, there are already three medications approved to treat alcohol use disorder.
Q: What’s next for this research?
A: Larger, randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm the findings and determine the long-term effects of these medications.
