Overconsumption of calories is linked to a disorder that affects millions of people, but is still widely blamed for poor self-control despite evidence indicating strong linkages to the environment, neurology, and heredity.
Alcohol use disorder can affect 16 million people in the US. Reduced alcohol intake is now another negative effect of some of the most widely used obesity treatments, according to a somewhat unusual new study.
These results have far-reaching ramifications. The FDA has approved only three medications to treat alcohol consumption disorder, and studies show that these medications are seldom recommended, have poor compliance rates, and are not very effective.
A US research discovered, following a thorough data analysis of posts on the social media platform Reddit, that those taking specific prescription drugs for obesity and type 2 diabetes reported feeling less of a want to drink alcohol.
“Participants reported drinking less, experienced fewer effects of alcohol when they did drink it, and decreased odds of binge drinking,” says Alexandra DiFeliceantonio, an appetitive neuroscientist at Virginia Tech.
A sizable dataset of 68,250 posts and comments from 313 “subreddits,” posted between 2009 and 2023, was used by DiFeliceantonio and associates.
They were able to locate those that have brand names or other terms connected to semaglutide or tirzepatide medicine using an extractor tool.
They examined 33,609 posts from 14,595 distinct accounts on Reddit after sifting through the lengthy amount of postings to explore the various negative effects.
They discovered 1,580 posts by 962 different accounts that discussed alcohol. Of these 1,580 posts, 71.7 percent discussed lowering alcohol consumption, lowering cravings, or adverse effects from drinking.
When these drugs were administered, patients’ alcohol consumption and cravings significantly decreased, according to statistical analysis of the data.
Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, which means that it replicates the effects of hormones released after eating to lower blood sugar and energy consumption. It is given under the brand names Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus.
Tirzepatide is a synthetic form of the hormone glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), which causes the pancreas to release insulin. It is marketed under the names Mounjaro and Zepbound. The medication enhances blood-sugar regulation by activating both GIP and GLP-1 receptors.
“To our knowledge, there have been no research studies to investigate the effects of Tirzepatide on alcohol consumption,” the team writes in their published paper.
They then carried out a second, “real-world,” investigation that involved surveying 153 obese adults who drink alcohol. Depending on whether they were prescribed tirzepatide, semaglutide, or neither as a control group, they were divided into three groups.
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Those taking tirzepatide or semaglutide for diabetes or weight reduction were shown to have much lower alcohol intake, fewer drinks per drinking episode, and a significantly decreased likelihood of binge drinking when compared to the non-medicated control group.
“These findings add to a growing literature that these medications may curb dangerous drinking habits,” says behavioral pharmacologist Warren Bickel from Virginia Tech, a corresponding author on the paper.
Further research involving more varied populations is necessary to evaluate potential disparities depending on sex, age, and race, as the self-reported data is likely to contain some bias because the participants were predominantly white females about 40 years of age.
The investigators recommend that GLP-1 agonists and GIP/GLP-1 medications be studied in randomized controlled clinical trials for the treatment of alcohol use disorder.
“Although evidence supporting the use of these medications for alcohol use disorder is growing, the field still needs to learn considerably more about them, particularly in identifying the underlying mechanisms,” Bickel says. “We plan to contribute to that effort.”
This news is a creative derivative product from articles published in famous peer-reviewed journals and Govt reports:
References:
1. Quddos, F., Hubshman, Z., Tegge, A. et al. Semaglutide and Tirzepatide reduce alcohol consumption in individuals with obesity. Sci Rep 13, 20998 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-48267-2
2. Kranzler, H. R. & Soyka, M. Diagnosis and pharmacotherapy of alcohol use disorder: A review. JAMA 320, 815–824 (2018).
3. Jonas, D. E. et al. Pharmacotherapy for adults with alcohol use disorders in outpatient settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA 311, 1889–1900 (2014).
4. Schuckit, M. A. Alcohol-use disorders. Lancet 373, 492–501 (2009).
5. Fleury, M.-J. et al. Remission from substance use disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Drug Alcohol Depend. 168, 293–306 (2016).
