Weight loss medications can also benefit the common medical problem, find the study
Drug loss medications It has been shown that peptide 1 (LPG-1) agonists similar to glucagon, who have gained popularity to treat diabetes and type 2 obesity, have the surprising secondary benefit of reducing alcohol intake.
A team of international researchers from Ireland and Saudi Arabia followed 262 adult patients with obesity who began taking two GLP-1 medications: liraglutida or semagglutida.
Among regular drinkers, weekly alcohol intake decreased by 68%, from approximately 23 units of alcohol to around 8 units.
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The findings were recently published in the Magazine Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism and were also presented last week at the European Congress on Obesity in Spain.
GLP-1 agonists mimic a hormone called LPG-1, which is released from the gastrointestinal system after eating, according to the study co-author, Carel Le Roux, professor at University College Dublin.
It has been shown that weight loss medications known as peptide-1 agonists similar to glucagon (LPG-1) have the surprising secondary benefit of reducing alcohol intake. (Istock)
These medications activate the GLP-1 receptors in the brain, reducing the feeling of “reward” that people feel after eating or drinking, which eventually leads to reduced cravings for food and alcohol, told News Digital.
“It is this function of function that suggests that GLP-1 receptors in the brain can be a therapeutic objective not only for obesity disease, but also for alcohol consumption disorder,” said the teacher.
Study findings
Before the participants began the weight loss drugs, their weekly were reported by themselves alcohol consumptionthen they were classified as non -drinkers, rare drinkers or regular drinkers.
Approximately 72% had at least two tracking visits and 68% reported regular alcohol consumption.
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After starting weight loss medications, the average weekly alcohol intake of the participants decreased by almost two thirds in general, from approximately 11 units of alcohol to four units after four months of treatment with the GLP-1 agonists.
The reduction in alcohol consumption was comparable to the decrease that Nalmefene can achieve, a drug that decreases the feeling of “buzz” in people with alcohol consumption disorder in Europe, according to researchers.
Among regular drinkers, weekly alcohol intake decreased by 68%, from approximately 23 units of alcohol to around 8 units. (Istock)
For the 188 patients who were followed for an average of four months, none had increased their alcohol intake after starting weight loss medications.
The patients reported that after dinner, they were too full to drink their usual drink, and when they drank, they reported that they were filled extremely fast and drank at a slower pace, Le Roux said.
“The findings in this study suggest that we can have found a therapeutic objective for alcohol consumption disorder.”
This suggests that the experience was less pleasant, partly due to the reduced alcohol absorption rate.
Some patients also reported that they did not enjoy the taste of alcoholic beverages so much, and that the hangover were also very worse.
All these experiences showed that weight loss medications create “guard rails” that prevent most patients from drinking excessively, giving them a degree of control over their alcohol intake, according to Le Roux.
After starting weight loss medications, the average weekly alcohol intake of the participants decreased by almost two thirds in general. (Istock)
“The findings in this study suggest that we can have found a therapeutic objective for alcohol consumption disorder: the GLP-1 receiver,” the teacher told News Digital.
“This finding potentially opens the possibility of a completely new pharmacological treatment paradigm, which could be used together with conventional methods, such as behavioral therapy and group support.”
Potential limitations
The study was limited by their relatively small number of patients, the researchers recognized.
In addition, researchers could not verify the intake of self -informed alcohol of the participants, and approximately one third of them were not available for follow -up.
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There was also a control group, which means that researchers could not prove that taking weight loss medications reduces alcohol intake.
The main advantage of GLP-1 agonists is that they only need to be taken once a week and continue working throughout the week. (Istock)
“Randomized and controlled tests are needed with various patient populations, including patients diagnosed with alcohol consumption disorder, to provide the quality and quantity of data that could be used to support an application to license the medicine for the treatment of alcohol consumption disorder,” Le Roux said.
(One of those tests is currently in progress in Denmark).
Implications of the study
With current medications available to treat alcohol consumption disorder, the “main problem” is compliance, Le Roux said: “Because alcohol cravings tend to come in waves.”
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“This means that a patient could be completely committed to the treatment at one time of the week, but then stop taking the medication later in the week when a craving arrives,” added the teacher.
“This research suggests a promising auxiliary benefit of LPG-1 anologists, which potentially influence alcohol cravings and offer a new way to handle alcohol consumption disorder,” said a doctor. (Istock)
There are currently three medications approved by the FDA to treat alcohol consumption disorder: Naltrexone (which helps reduce cravings by reducing the feeling of “buzz” that comes with alcohol drink); Disulfiram (which helps some people avoid alcohol causing them to feel ill when they drink) and camp (which restores the balance of hormones in the brain to reduce cravings), according to the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism abuse.
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But less than 10% of people with alcohol consumption disorder receive proper treatment, and many of the resumption uses of the first year of treatment, according to previous research.
The main advantage of GLP-1 agonists is that they only need to be taken once a week and continue working throughout the week.
For the 188 patients who were followed for an average of four months, none had increased their alcohol intake after starting weight loss medications. (Istock)
External experts say that study findings highlight the potential of weight loss medications to help treat alcohol consumption disorder.
“This research suggests a promising auxiliary benefit of the Analogues of LPG-1, which potentially influence alcohol cravings and offer a new way to handle alcohol consumption disorder,” Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, Obesity Medicine Physician At the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard’s Faculty of Medicine, which was not part of the study, he told News Digital.
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“While exact mechanisms are still being explored, the findings contribute to our understanding of the broader benefits of the Analogues LPG-1 beyond the treatment of obesity,” Stanford added.