MILLIONS of Brits who struggle with binge drinking could benefit from taking weight loss jabs, researchers have found.
Alcoholics with obesity given Wegovy could curb their alcohol intake by as much as 70 per cent, a study in Denmark has shown.
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A new study has found that Wegovy could help people cut down on their drinking Credit: South_agency
Semaglutide – found in Wegovy in Ozempic – may help drinkers to reduce their alcohol intake Credit: REUTERS
A research team led by experts from the Mental Health Centre Copenhagen and Frederiksberg Hospital used semaglutide – the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic – on 108 obese patients seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder.
Half of the participants were given 2.4mg of the drug for six months, while the other half were given a “dummy drug”.
Researchers found that those taking the fat jab had fewer binge drinking days and had fewer cravings for alcohol compared with those taking the placebo.
Participants had an average of 17 days of “heavy drinking” in the 30 days before the start of the trial.
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For those given semaglutide for six months, they saw the number of binge drinking days roughly reduce to five in a 30 day period.
This correlated to a 40 per cent drop in heavy drinking days in the last month, compared to 26 per cent in the dummy drug group, the researchers said.
Those on the dummy drug saw their heavy drinking days reduce to only nine.
In terms of the quantity of alcohol drunk, trial participants consumed an average of roughly 2,200g over the previous 30 days at the start of the trial – which breaks down to about 154 drinks a month, or five per day.
This decreased over six months by a staggering 70 per cent, falling to an average of 650g – or about 46 drinks a month or one a day – in those taking semaglutide.
Alcohol consumption fell by almost half (47 per cent), to 1,175g, in the dummy drug group.
The study also found that general alcohol consumption had reduced among those taking semaglutide, compared with those taking the placebo.
Professor Anders Fink-Jensen, principal investigator of the study said: “The results suggest that semaglutide not only affects appetite but also influences the biological mechanisms underlying addiction.”
Independent experts said the findings were “encouraging” and some of the “strongest evidence yet” that semaglutide can help people with alcohol problems – but added that more research is needed.
Prof Ashwin Dhanda, Professor of Liver Medicine, University of Plymouth, noted that participants had therapy to support alcohol reduction.
“In the real world, many healthcare systems e.g. NHS, would not have access to such therapy,” he said.
“We do not know whether the treatment would work without it.”
Prof Matt Field, Professor of Psychology, University of Sheffield, said: “There was no follow-up after semaglutide treatment had finished. This means that we do not know if people reverted to their previous heavy drinking behaviour once they stopped taking the medication.”
What are the hidden benefits of fat jabs?
It’s obvious that fat jabs can help people lose weight, but what other benefits do they have:
They can help addicts kick drugs such as cocaine
Fat jabs may also help people quit smoking and nicotine addictions
Other research has shown weight loss drugs can lower the risk of heart attack or stroke
They may reduce blood pressure and cholesterol
Fat jabs could also potentially protect patients against dementia
