There\u2019s mounting evidence that popular drugs prescribed for diabetes management and weight loss \u2014 better known by trade names like Ozempic and Wegovy \u2014 could be effective in reducing alcohol use.<\/p>\n
A pilot study from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, released\u00a0this month in Scientific Reports<\/a>,\u00a0found that these types of GLP-1 agonists slow the speed at which alcohol enters the bloodstream, which also slows the effects on the brain.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople who drink know there\u2019s a difference between nursing a glass of wine and downing a shot of whiskey,\u201d said\u00a0Alex DiFeliceantonio<\/a>, assistant professor and interim co-director of the institute’s\u00a0Center for Health Behaviors Research<\/a>.<\/p>\n A standard serving of either has 0.6 ounces of alcohol, but the shot brings a rapid increase in blood-alcohol content. It feels different because of the way the body handles alcohol over time.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would this matter? Faster-acting drugs have a higher abuse potential,\u201d DiFeliceantonio said. \u201cThey have a different impact on the brain. So if GLP-1s slow alcohol entering the bloodstream, they could reduce the effects of alcohol and help people drink less.\u201d<\/p>\n More than half<\/a>\u00a0of U.S. adults drink alcohol, and roughly\u00a0one in 10<\/a>\u00a0has alcohol use disorder. Long-term, chronic alcohol use is associated with health-related illnesses such as high blood pressure, cancer, and heart and liver disease. In January, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released an advisory<\/a> highlighting alcohol use as the third leading preventable cause of cancer, after tobacco use and obesity.<\/p>\n Despite consuming similar doses of alcohol calculated to increase breath alcohol concentration to approximately 0.08 percent, concentration increased more slowly in participants taking semaglutide, tirzepatide, or liraglutide. Participants in that group also reported feeling less intoxicated on subjective measures.<\/p>\n The study, supported by funding from Virginia Tech\u2019s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, sought to better understand the physical and subjective experience of\u00a0alcohol traveling through the body of someone taking a GLP-1.\u00a0The research provides early data to guide the design of larger, more rigorous studies testing whether GLP-1 drugs can help reduce alcohol use.<\/p>\n Twenty participants with a BMI of 30 or greater, half on a maintenance dose of GLP-1s and half taking no medication, were recruited from Roanoke and surrounding areas. They fasted before arriving for the study, then they were given a snack bar to standardize caloric intake and stomach contents.<\/p>\n Researchers gathered blood pressure, pulse, breath alcohol concentration, and blood glucose levels. Ninety minutes later, participants were served an alcoholic beverage that had to be consumed within 10 minutes. Researchers then measured breath alcohol and participants answered questions about cravings, appetite, alcohol effects, and taste. For example, they were asked to rate, on a scale of zero to 10, \u201cHow drunk do you feel right now?\u201d This was repeated three times over 60 minutes.<\/p>\n The participants on GLP-1s consistently reported feeling less intoxicated.<\/p>\n Following the session, participants remained in a recovery room as the alcohol was metabolized. Breath alcohol was measured every 30 minutes, blood glucose was measured twice, and three hours after the session participants again answered subjective questions. After four hours, a breath alcohol content below .02 percent, and the study physician\u2019s approval, the participant was OK\u2019d to leave.<\/p>\n \u201cOther medications designed to help reduce alcohol intake\u201d \u2014 naltrexone and acamprosate \u2014 \u201cact on the central nervous system,\u201d said DiFeliceantonio, the study\u2019s corresponding author. \u201cOur preliminary data suggest that GLP-1s suppress intake through a different mechanism.\u201d<\/p>\n The drugs slow gastric emptying, which can lead to a slower rise in blood alcohol.<\/p>\n The idea for the study initially bubbled up during a Fralin Biomedical Research Institute faculty retreat and was led by Warren Bickel, professor and director of the\u00a0Addiction Recovery Research Center<\/a>, who died in 2024.<\/p>\n It built on an analysis of\u00a0social media posts on the community network Reddit, in which users reported\u00a0reduced cravings for alcohol<\/a>\u00a0when taking drugs intended to treat Type 2 diabetes and obesity.\u00a0\u201cHis guidance shaped every stage of this research \u2014 from the initial idea to its final form \u2014 and his passion for scientific discovery continues to inspire me every day,\u201d said Fatima Quddos, a graduate researcher in Bickel\u2019s lab and the first author on both studies.<\/p>\n \u201cBickel\u2019s work had long focused on what happens when you delay rewards, so we asked, \u2018What if GLP-1s affect how the body handles alcohol?\u2019\u201d DiFeliceantonio said. \u201cEnding this project was bittersweet, because it was my last collaboration with him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe was always asking, \u2018How do we help people the fastest?\u2019 Using a drug that\u2019s already shown to be safe to help people reduce drinking could be a way to get people help fast,\u201d DiFeliceantonio said.<\/p>\n While this was a pilot study, researchers said the findings showed clear differences between groups and provide early data that support larger trials testing the drugs as a therapy for people who want to reduce their alcohol use.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a recent graduate, I\u2019m deeply inspired by the potential this research holds \u2014 not only for advancing our scientific understanding, but also for paving the way toward future therapies,\u201d said Quddos, who earned her doctorate from Virginia Tech\u2019s\u00a0Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program<\/a>\u00a0in May. \u201cThe possibility of offering new hope to individuals struggling with addiction is what makes this work so meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n Original study<\/a>: DOI\u00a010.1038\/s41598-025-17927-w<\/p>\n Authors:<\/p>\n Fatima Quddos, graduate, Virginia Tech\u00a0Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program<\/a>
\nMary Fowler, research assistant and programs coordinator, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
\nAna Carolina de Lima Bovo, Ph.D., postdoctoral associate, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
\nZacarya Elbash, research assistant, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
\nAllison N. Tegge<\/a>, research associate professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute\u2019s Addiction Recovery Research Center
\nKirstin M. Gatchalian<\/a>, program manager, interim co-director, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute\u2019s Addiction Recovery Research Center
\nAnita S. Kablinger<\/a>, Carilion Clinic<\/a>, director of clinical research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine<\/a>
\nThe late\u00a0Warren K. Bickel<\/a>, professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute\u00a0
\nAlexandra G. DiFeliceantonio, assistant professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute; interim co-director, Center for Health Behaviors Research; assistant professor, Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise<\/a>, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s mounting evidence that popular drugs prescribed for diabetes management and weight loss \u2014 better known by trade…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":85062,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[163,85,46,482],"class_list":{"0":"post-85061","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-medication"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}