New study reveals surprising benefit of GLP-1s that has nothing to do with weight loss
Callum Jones
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A recently published study has detailed the surprising benefits of GLP-1 drugs that is not linked to weight loss purposes.
Ozempic, for example, was produced to help those with diabetes, while fellow GLP-1, Mounjaro, has since been approved for weight loss purposes with many Americans taking up the drug in an attempt to shed the pounds.
While many have described the benefits of using GLP-1s for losing weight and to help with diabetes, a new study has concluded it can help people avoid being addicted to alcohol, tobacco and drugs like cannabis and cocaine.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal, followed 606,434 US veterans with type 2 diabetes. They were monitored for a period of three years and the results were certainly intriguing.
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Scientists found that GLP-1s reduced the risk of alcohol abuse for those with no history of substance use by a staggering 18 percent, while chances of cocaine abuse were reduced by 20 percent.
The same figure was recorded when it came to nicotine, and the chance of cannabis-related abuse reduced by 14 percent as a result of GLP-1s.
As per the Guardian, Gareth Jones, the director of corporate affairs at the National Pharmacy Association, said of the study: "This is a significant study and shows that weight loss treatment may have potential to give important additional therapeutic benefits.
“More is being understood all the time around the long-term impact [of GLP-1s], but it is clear that weight loss treatment can have a positive effect on a range of health outcomes, for those patients who are eligible and really need it.”
Meanwhile, Claire Anderson, who represents over 35,000 UK pharmacists as part of her role as president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, added: "This study adds to emerging research exploring whether GLP-1 medicines may influence brain pathways involved in reward and addiction.
"As this was an observational study, it is important to be clear that it does not show these medicines prevent or treat addiction. Further research, including clinical trials, will be needed to understand whether GLP-1 medicines have a direct effect."
As part of their study, researchers compared those newly prescribed an GLP-1 drug to those on SGLT2 inhibitors, a different from of diabetes medication.
For those who had a prior substance use disorder, taking a GLP-1 drug lowered their chances of hospital admissions by a sizeable 26 percent, as well as a reduction in overdoses by 39 percent.