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People who take liraglutide or semaglutide for weight reduction scale back their alcohol consumption by nearly two-thirds in 4 months, new analysis offered on the European Congress on Weight problems (ECO 2025) has discovered.
The analysis can also be revealed within the journal Diabetes, Weight problems and Metabolism.
Alcohol use dysfunction is a relapsing situation that accounts for two.6 million deaths a yr—4.7% of all deaths globally.
Therapies similar to cognitive behavioral remedy (CBT), therapies that intention to strengthen motivation to cease or scale back consuming and drugs may be very profitable within the brief time period, nonetheless, 70% of sufferers relapse throughout the first yr.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogs, medicine developed to deal with weight problems, have decreased alcohol consumption in animal research, however stories are solely beginning to emerge about their impact on alcohol consumption in people.
To search out out extra, Professor Carel le Roux, of College School Dublin, and colleagues in Eire and Saudi Arabia prospectively collected information on the alcohol consumption of sufferers who had been being handled for weight problems at a clinic in Dublin.
The true-world research concerned 262 adults with a BMI ≥27 kg/m2 (79% feminine, common age 46 years, common weight 98kg/15 stone 6lb) who had been prescribed the GLP-1 analogs liraglutide or semaglutide for weight reduction.
The sufferers had been categorized into non-drinkers (n=31, 11.8%), uncommon drinkers (10 models/week, n=179, 68.4%) primarily based on their self-reported alcohol consumption earlier than they began taking the weight-loss medicine.
A complete of 188 of the 262 sufferers had been adopted up for a mean of 4 months. None of them had elevated their alcohol consumption.
Common alcohol consumption decreased from 11.3 models/week to 4.3 models/week after 4 months of remedy with the GLP-1 analogs—a discount of virtually two-thirds.
Among the many common drinkers, consumption decreased from 23.2 models/week to 7.8 models/week. This discount of 68% is corresponding to that achieved by nalmefene, a drug used to deal with alcohol use dysfunction in Europe, notes Professor le Roux.
He provides, “The exact mechanism of how GLP-1 analogs reduce alcohol intake is still being investigated, but it is thought to involve curbing cravings for alcohol that arise in subcortical areas of the brain that are not under conscious control. Thus, patients report the effects are ‘effortless.'”
The research’s limitations embrace the comparatively small variety of sufferers, using self-reported alcohol consumption and the absence of a management group. Its strengths embrace using information collected prospectively in a real-world setting.
Professor le Roux concludes, “GLP-1 analogs have been shown to treat obesity and reduce the risk of multiple obesity-related complications. Now, the beneficial effects beyond obesity, such as on alcohol intake, are being actively studied, with some promising results.”
Extra info:
Maurice O’Farrell et al, Glucagon‐like peptide‐1 analogues scale back alcohol consumption, Diabetes, Weight problems and Metabolism (2025). DOI: 10.1111/dom.16152
Offered by
European Affiliation for the Research of Weight problems
Quotation:
Weight-loss medicine lower alcohol consumption by nearly two-thirds, analysis in Eire suggests (2025, Could 9)
retrieved 9 Could 2025
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