Weight loss medications Known as known peptide (GLP-1) agonists, who have gained popularity in treating type 2 diabetes and obesity, it has been shown to have the amazing secondary benefit of reduced alcohol intake.
A team of international researchers from Ireland and Saudi Arabia followed 262 adult patients with obesity who began taking two GPP-1 medicines: Liraglutide or Semaglutide.
Among the usual drinkers, the weekly alcohol intake decreased by 68%, from approximately 23 units of alcohol to about 8 units.
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The findings were recently published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism and also presented themselves last week at the European Congress on Obesity in Spain.
The GLP-1 agonists mimic a hormone called GLP-1, released from the gastrointestinal system after eating, according to the co-author of the studio Carel Le Roux, a professor at University College Dublin.
Weight loss medicines have been shown to be known as peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists (GLP-1) have the surprising secondary benefit of alcohol intake reduction. (Istock)
These drugs activate GLP-1 receptors in the brain, reducing the feeling of “reward” that people feel after eating or drinking, leading to a reduction in desires for both food and alcohol, told Fox News Digital.
“It is this normality of the function that suggests that brain GLP-1 receptors can be a therapeutic goal not only for obesity disease, but also for alcohol consumption disorder,” said the teacher.
Finding study
Before participants began weight loss drugs, their weekly Alcohol intakeThen they were classified as non -drinkers, rare drinkers or regular drinkers.
About 72% had at least two monitoring visits and 68% declared regular alcohol consumption.
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After starting the weight loss medicines, the weekly average alcohol intake of the participants decreased by almost two thirds in general, from approximately 11 units of alcohol to four units after four months of treatment with the GLP-1 agonists.
The reduction in alcohol consumption was comparable to the decrease that Nalmefene can achieve, a drug that decreases the feeling of “buzz” in people with alcohol consumption disorder in Europe, according to researchers.
Among the usual drinkers, the weekly alcohol intake decreased by 68%, from approximately 23 units of alcohol to about 8 units. (Istock)
For the 188 patients who were followed for an average of four months, none had increased the intake of alcohol after starting medicines for weight loss.
The patients reported that after a meal in the evening, they were too full to have their usual drink, and when they drink, they reported that they became very quickly and drinking at a slower pace, said Le Roux.
“The findings of this study suggest that we may just find a therapeutic goal for alcohol consumption disorder.”
This suggests that the experience was less pleasant, partly due to the reduced rate of alcohol absorption.
Some patients also reported that they did not enjoy the taste of alcoholic beverages, and also that the hangers were very worse.
All these experiences showed that weight loss medicines create “guard rails” that prevent most patients from drinking excessively, giving them a degree of control over alcohol intake, according to Le Roux.
After starting the weight loss medicines, the weekly average alcohol intake of the participants decreased by almost two thirds in general. (Istock)
“The conclusions of this study suggest that we may just find a therapeutic goal for alcohol consumption disorder, the GLP-1 receptor,” the professor told Fox News Digital.
“This finding can open the possibility of a completely new pharmacological treatment paradigm, which could be used jointly with conventional methods, such as behavioral therapy and group support.”
Potential limitations
The researchers acknowledged that the study was limited by their relatively small number of patients.
The researchers also could not verify the self -realized alcohol intake of the participants, and approximately one third was not available for tracking.
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There was also no control group, which means that researchers could not show that weight loss medication reduces alcohol intake.
The main advantage of GLP-1 agonists is that they only have to take once a week and continue to work throughout the week. (Istock)
“Random and controlled trials are needed with various patients populations, including patients diagnosed with alcohol consumption disorder, to provide the quality and amount of data that could be used to support an application for the medication license for the treatment of alcohol consumption disorder,” said Le Roux.
(This type is currently being performed in Denmark.)
Implications of the study
With current medicines available to treat alcohol use disorder, the “main problem” is compliance, Le Roux said, “Because alcohol wishes are usually waves.”
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“This means that a patient could be completely committed to treatment at a time of the week, but after stopping to take medication later than a year when a longing arrives,” the teacher added.
“This research suggests an auxiliary benefit promising GLP-1 analogue, which influence alcohol desires and offer a new way to manage alcohol consumption disorder,” said a doctor. (Istock)
Currently there are three FDAs approved to treat alcohol consumption disorder: the naltrexone (which helps to reduce the desires by reducing the feeling of “buzzing” that involves drinking alcohol); Disulfiram (which helps some people to avoid alcohol by making them feel sick when they drink), and the acamprosate (which restores the balance of hormones in the brain to reduce desires), according to the National Institute of Alcohol and Alcoholism Abuse.
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But less than 10% of people with alcohol consumption disorder have proper treatment, and many resumed use during the first year of treatment, according to past research.
The main advantage of GLP-1 agonists is that they only have to take once a week and continue to work throughout the week.
For the 188 patients who were followed for an average of four months, none had increased the intake of alcohol after starting medicines for weight loss. (Istock)
External experts say that study findings highlight the potential of medicines for weight loss to help treat alcohol use disorder.
“This research suggests an auxiliary benefit promising GLP-1 analogue, which may influence alcohol wishes and offer a new way to manage alcohol consumption disorder,” Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, Obesity Medicine Doctor In Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, which was not part of the study, he told Fox News Digital.
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“Although the exact mechanisms are still being explored, the findings contribute to the understanding of the broader benefits of GLP-1 analogue beyond treatment with obesity,” added Stanford.
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