Adding a GLP-1 to therapy cut heavy drinking days in a 26-week trial

Adults with alcohol use disorder and obesity who took a weekly GLP-1 injection alongside cognitive behavioral therapy cut their heavy drinking days more than those given a placebo and the same therapy. The trial ran 26 weeks, enrolled 108 people and finished with 88.

Decades of research have produced only three medicines for alcohol use disorder, so a randomized, placebo-controlled result carries weight an observational signal never could. These drugs act on brain pathways that handle appetite and reward, and it was the reward half the researchers were testing. The GLP-1 group reduced reported alcohol craving, drinks per drinking day and total monthly consumption more than placebo, and the same group reduced body weight, waist circumference and average blood sugar further.

Everyone in the trial also had obesity, and it is still unknown whether the same effect shows up in people who do not, which is the question the researchers put next. Whether any of this applies to one person belongs with a qualified clinician who knows their health history.

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