A recent study revealed that weight loss drugs may help reduce the risk of hospitalization due to alcohol-related problems in people with a history of addiction.
American researchers analyzed data from over 40,000 adults with a history of alcohol use disorder, including those who had recently started using weight-loss injections. The team compared alcohol-related hospitalization rates between users of these medications and those who had never used them.
The results showed that people who used weight-loss injections were less likely to be hospitalized for alcohol-related complications than others, and these drugs appeared to be more effective at reducing these risks than some traditional treatments currently used to address alcohol use disorder.
The study focused on the effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist drugs in reducing the need for hospitalization due to alcohol-related problems.
Researchers, led by experts from the University of Washington, conducted four separate analyses designed to simulate different real-world conditions. They found that type 2 diabetes patients using these injections were 63% less likely to be hospitalized for alcohol-related reasons compared to those receiving traditional medications for alcohol addiction.
The use of these injections has also been linked to a reduced risk of hospitalization by up to 26% compared to some other diabetes medications. Among those using them to treat obesity, the likelihood of hospitalization was reduced by about one-third compared to those using other obesity treatments.
In the category of people who were obese and had an alcohol use disorder at the same time, the researchers found that the use of these drugs was associated with a 65% reduction in the risk of hospitalization due to alcohol.
The researchers explained that these results indicate the possibility of using GLP-1 drugs in the future as part of the treatment options for alcohol use disorder, but they stressed that more clinical trials are needed before they can be approved for this purpose, especially since the current study relied on observational data and did not fully assess the difference in the severity of addiction among the participants.
GLP-1 drugs work by mimicking a natural hormone released by the body after eating, helping to increase feelings of fullness and reduce appetite. Researchers believe they may also affect the brain's reward system, which is responsible for some behaviors associated with overeating and addiction.
Among the most well-known of these medications are Wegovi, used for weight loss, and Ozempic, used to treat diabetes; both contain the active ingredient semaglutide. Mongaro, which contains terzepate, is also widely used for weight loss and has helped some users lose a significant amount of body weight.
Dr. Mary Sprickley, a weight management expert at Cambridge University who was not involved in the study, said the findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that GLP-1 drugs may influence alcohol-related behaviors. However, she stressed that further research is needed before these injections can be considered a proven treatment for alcohol use disorder.
These findings are part of a growing body of research exploring the potential benefits of weight-loss drugs outside of obesity treatment. A study published in JAMA Psychiatry indicated that the drug semaglutide may reduce alcohol consumption by 40% and decrease cravings.
Another study also found that weight loss injections may be associated with a reduction in the risk of addiction to alcohol, cigarettes and illicit drugs by up to a quarter.
