Popular weight-loss meds also curb alcoholism, tests show

A popular pharmaceutical intervention for weight loss may also have the potential to curb alcoholism, as researchers observed a “commonality of function.”

Between those who swear by the medications and the horror stories of side effects, the jury remains out on the risk/reward balance when it comes to glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs, better known as GLP-1s. That said, researchers from Ireland and Saudi Arabia teamed together to reveal that the same trend for taming obesity could be key in providing a new pharmacological treatment for alcohol use disorder.

Published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, a journal of pharmacology and therapeutics, co-authors Carel le Roux, Faisal Almohaileb, and Maurice O’Farrell found that patients taking either liraglutide or semaglutide decreased their alcohol consumption by 68%.

“It is this commonality of function that suggests the GLP-1 receptors in the brain may be a therapeutic target for not just the disease of obesity, but also for alcohol use disorder,” said le Roux, a professor at the University College Dublin.

According to the research, patients who had been drinking about 23 units of alcohol each week decreased their consumption to about 8 units per week as the medication was said to reduce the feeling of reward that comes with eating and drinking.

“The findings in this study suggest that we may have found a therapeutic target for alcohol use disorder — the GLP-1 receptor,” le Roux told Fox News Digital. “This finding potentially opens the possibility of an entirely new pharmacological treatment paradigm, which could be used in conjunction with conventional methods, such as behavior therapy and group support.”

In addition to reporting feeling full faster, patients described distaste for the flavor of adult beverages and worse hangovers while taking GLP-1s, as the reaction was said to be comparable to that of nalmefene, a drug that limits the “buzz” of consuming alcohol. Furthermore, while the average weekly alcohol intake decreased by roughly two-thirds, there were no reports of increased alcohol consumption from patients.

Of the noted holes in the research that was conducted with roughly 80% female participants between January 2023 and March 2024, researchers acknowledged that all alcohol consumption was self-reported and not verified. Additionally, the study lacked a control group.

“Randomized, controlled trials with diverse patient populations — including patients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder — are needed to provide the quality and quantity of data that could be used to support an application for licensing the medication for the treatment of alcohol use disorder,” said le Roux of the research that was recently presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Spain.

He also noted a key problem with treating the disorder with medication is in compliance, “because the cravings for alcohol tend to come in waves.”

“This means a patient might be fully committed to treatment at one point in the week, but then stop taking the medication later in the week when a craving comes,” said the professor, as GLP-1 benefited on that front because of its weekly dosage that continues to work throughout the entire week.

The presentation came only weeks after Eli Lilly had announced a pill version of the popular GLP-1 inhibitors, making it easier to produce the medication “at scale.”

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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