Weight loss drugs may slow how quickly alcohol enters the bloodstream, leading users to feel less intoxicated after drinking, according to a new report.
“Alcohol isn't absorbed well in the stomach, it has to reach the intestine,” VTC Institute's Health Behaviors Research assistant professor and interim co-director Alex DiFeliceantonio told NTD. “So, by slowing flow from the stomach to intestine you can slow the rate alcohol is able to get into the blood.”
Specifically, the study determined that breath alcohol concentration increased more slowly to 0.08 percent in participants receiving injections of semaglutide, tirzepatide, or liraglutide despite having consumed similar doses of alcohol.
Although there was a reduction in alcohol intake in people with obesity taking the GLP-1 injection in the study, they eventually achieved similar levels of breath alcohol and subjective intoxication, according to the study.
“It seems that changing the immediate subjective effects of alcohol may lead to people drinking less,” DiFeliceantonio said.
Semaglutide, tirzepatide, and liraglutide are GP-1 drugs prescribed for weight loss by doctors under names like Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy.
"We did not test if there were differences between drug type," DiFeliceantonio said.
The study further found that GLP-1 therapy reduces consumption of substances like alcohol through the peripheral nervous system.
“We found evidence that these medications may be working at least in part through a mechanism in the body rather than the brain,” DiFeliceantonio said. “Our study adds to the growing body of research that GLP-1 medications can reduce alcohol intake.”
The study is relevant because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 42 percent of American adults are obese, while a National Survey on Drug Use and Health survey found that 28.1 million have alcohol use disorder.
In addition to studies showing a reduction in alcohol intake in people with obesity taking GLP-1 the drugs, prior examinations link GLP-1 use to fewer alcohol-related hospitalizations.
“There are treatments for alcohol use disorder, but relapse is still very common,” DiFeliceantonio added. “We hope with more research, to find more medications to help people reduce drinking.”