Antiobesity Medications Tied to Decreased Alcohol Use
TUESDAY, Dec. 3, 2024 -- Nearly half of participants in a weight loss program who initiated an antiobesity medication and who consumed alcohol at baseline reported decreases in their alcohol use, according to a research letter published online Nov. 26 in JAMA Network Open.
Lisa R. Miller-Matero, Ph.D., from Henry Ford Health in Detroit, and colleagues examined changes in alcohol use among 14,053 individuals enrolled in a telehealth weight management program after initiation of an antiobesity medication (first- or second-generation glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists; January 2022 to August 2023). Most participants (86.2 percent) were prescribed a second-generation medication.
The researchers found that approximately half of participants reported drinking any alcohol at baseline (53.3 percent), and across all participants, 24.2 percent had a decrease in alcohol use. For the 7,491 participants with alcohol use at baseline, 45.3 percent reported decreasing a category of alcohol use, 52.4 percent reported no change, and 2.3 percent reported an increase. Further, among participants who reported alcohol use at baseline, those with a higher class of obesity and those with higher levels of drinking were more likely to lessen their use. Greater decreases in alcohol use were seen among individuals receiving bupropion and naltrexone compared with metformin. However, when controlling for weight loss, this association was no longer significant.
"Future research would benefit from a randomized trial comparing antiobesity medications with a placebo-controlled or nonpharmacological weight management group," the authors write.
Several authors reported ties to WW International.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Read this next
Metabolic Surgery Has Greater Long-Term Benefits Than GLP-1 Receptor Agonists
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2025 -- People with obesity and type 2 diabetes who undergo metabolic surgery live longer and face fewer serious health problems compared with patients treated...
Patients With Extreme Obesity Face Limitations to Accessing Specialty Care
TUESDAY, Sept. 30, 2025 -- Patients weighing more than 450 lb face considerable limitations when attempting to access specialty care, according to a research letter published...
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Tied to Reduced Mortality in Patients With Psoriasis
TUESDAY, Sept. 30, 2025 -- Patients with psoriasis treated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have better long-term outcomes compared with those taking...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.