Fralin Biomedical Analysis Institute at VTC researchers discovered that after a cocktail, members in a small, pilot research who had been taking medicines for diabetes and weight reduction noticed delayed results from alcohol. Credit score: Clayton Metz/Virginia Tech
There’s mounting proof that well-liked medication prescribed for diabetes administration and weight reduction—higher recognized by commerce names like Ozempic and Wegovy—might be efficient in lowering alcohol use.
A research from the Fralin Biomedical Analysis Institute at VTC, launched in Scientific Stories, discovered that most of these GLP-1 agonists gradual the pace at which alcohol enters the bloodstream, which additionally slows the results on the mind.
“People who drink know there’s a difference between nursing a glass of wine and downing a shot of whiskey,” mentioned Alex DiFeliceantonio, assistant professor and interim co-director of the FBRI’s Heart for Well being Behaviors Analysis.
An ordinary serving of both has 0.6 ounces of alcohol, however the shot brings a fast improve in blood-alcohol content material. It feels totally different due to the best way the physique handles alcohol over time.
“Why would this matter? Faster-acting drugs have a higher abuse potential,” DiFeliceantonio mentioned. “They have a different impact on the brain. So if GLP-1s slow alcohol entering the bloodstream, they could reduce the effects of alcohol and help people drink less.”
Greater than half of U.S. adults drink alcohol, and roughly one in 10 has alcohol use dysfunction. Lengthy-term, power alcohol use is related to health-related sicknesses equivalent to hypertension, most cancers, and coronary heart and liver illness.
In January, U.S. Surgeon Normal Vivek Murthy launched an advisory highlighting alcohol use because the third main preventable reason behind most cancers, after tobacco use and weight problems.
Regardless of consuming comparable doses of alcohol calculated to extend breath alcohol focus to roughly 0.08%, focus elevated extra slowly in members taking semaglutide, tirzepatide, or liraglutide. Individuals in that group additionally reported feeling much less intoxicated on subjective measures.
The analysis sought to higher perceive the bodily and subjective expertise of alcohol touring by means of the physique of somebody taking a GLP-1. The research offers necessary early information to information the design of bigger, extra rigorous research testing whether or not GLP-1 medication will help scale back alcohol use.
Twenty members with a BMI of 30 or better, half on a upkeep dose of GLP-1s and half taking no treatment, had been recruited from Roanoke, Virginia, and surrounding areas. They fasted earlier than arriving for the research, then they got a snack bar to standardize caloric consumption and abdomen contents.
Researchers gathered blood strain, pulse, breath alcohol focus, and blood glucose ranges. Ninety minutes later, members had been served an alcoholic beverage that needed to be consumed inside 10 minutes.
Researchers then measured breath alcohol and members answered questions on cravings, urge for food, alcohol results, and style. For instance, they had been requested to price, on a scale of zero to 10, “How drunk do you feel right now?” This was repeated thrice over 60 minutes.
The members on GLP-1s persistently reported feeling much less intoxicated.
“Other medications designed to help reduce alcohol intake”—naltrexone and acamprosate—”act on the central nervous system,” mentioned DiFeliceantonio, the research’s corresponding writer. “Our preliminary data suggest that GLP-1s suppress intake through a different mechanism.”
The medication gradual gastric emptying, which may result in a slower rise in blood alcohol.
The thought for the research initially bubbled up throughout a Fralin Biomedical Analysis Institute college retreat and was led by Warren Bickel, professor and director of the Dependancy Restoration Analysis Heart, who died in 2024.
It constructed on an evaluation of social media posts on the group community Reddit, wherein customers reported lowered cravings for alcohol when taking medication supposed to deal with kind 2 diabetes and weight problems.
“His guidance shaped every stage of this research—from the initial idea to its final form—and his passion for scientific discovery continues to inspire me every day,” mentioned Fatima Quddos, a graduate researcher in Bickel’s lab and the primary writer on each research.
“Bickel’s work had long focused on what happens when you delay rewards, so we asked, ‘What if GLP-1s affect how the body handles alcohol?'” DiFeliceantonio mentioned. “Ending this project was bittersweet, because it was my last collaboration with him.”
“He was always asking, ‘How do we help people the fastest?’ Using a drug that’s already shown to be safe to help people reduce drinking could be a way to get people help fast,” DiFeliceantonio mentioned.
Whereas this was a pilot research, researchers mentioned the findings confirmed clear variations between teams and supply early information that help bigger trials testing the medication as a remedy for individuals who need to scale back their alcohol use.
“As a recent graduate, I’m deeply inspired by the potential this research holds—not only for advancing our scientific understanding, but also for paving the way toward future therapies,” mentioned Quddos, who earned her doctorate from Virginia Tech’s Translational Biology, Medication, and Well being Graduate Program in Could.
“The possibility of offering new hope to individuals struggling with addiction is what makes this work so meaningful.”
Extra info:
Physiological and perceptual results of GLP-1 receptor agonists throughout alcohol consumption in folks with weight problems: a pilot research, Scientific Stories (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-17927-w
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