Weight loss jabs could help cut alcohol consumption, study suggests

Weight loss jabs could help slash alcohol intake in obese people by around two thirds, according to a study.

It is thought the drugs help curb cravings for alcohol, experts said, although more research is needed.

Weight loss jabs, also known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, work by reducing food cravings.

The study, led by academics in Ireland and Saudi Arabia, included 262 obese people who had been prescribed liraglutide or semaglutide, which are available under the brand names Saxenda and Wegovy respectively.

They were categorised based on the amount of alcohol they consumed each week prior to starting treatment.

The groups included non-drinkers, rare drinkers who had less than 10 units a week, and regular drinkers, who reported having 10 or more units each week.

Some 188 of the 262 patients were followed up for an average of four months.

Average alcohol consumption fell from 11.3 units a week – about six or seven pints of beer – to 4.3 units a week, or roughly two pints of beer, after four months on the drugs.

Among regular drinkers, intake decreased by 68%, from 23.2 units a week to 7.8 units a week.

Professor Carel le Roux, of University College Dublin, said: “The exact mechanism of how GLP-1 analogues reduce alcohol intake is still being investigated but it is thought to involve curbing cravings for alcohol that arise in subcortical areas of the brain that are not under conscious control.

“Thus, patients report the effects are ‘effortless’.”

The findings, which are being presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, suggest a “potential therapeutic role” for weight loss jabs in people who are obese and regularly drink alcohol, researchers said.

However, they stressed larger trials are needed to validate the results.

Prof Le Roux added: “GLP-1 analogues have been shown treat obesity and reduce the risk of multiple obesity-related complications.

“Now, the beneficial effects beyond obesity, such as on alcohol intake, are being actively studied, with some promising results.”