I am sharing with you something that I recently read that I find very exciting since I have been doing medical weight loss management for my patients for the last decade.
Recent studies indicate that weight-loss drugs offer surprising benefits beyond the weight loss-related effects, creating new possibilities for treating depression, dementia, and addiction.
Kathy Schwartz’s remarkable transformation
Kathy Schwartz had been sober for a decade, but controlling her cravings for alcohol, cigarettes, and opiates was a daily struggle. “They were always in the background,” she says. That changed in June of last year when she was prescribed the weight-loss drug semaglutide.
Not only did she lose nearly 30 kilograms over ten months, but her desire for substances and her episodes of depression and anxiety also diminished. Schwartz’s experience highlights the unexpected mental health benefits of semaglutide drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
Early research on GLP-1
The journey of these drugs began in the 1970s and 1980s. Researchers identified that a gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) could stimulate rodent insulin production, leading to reduced food intake and weight loss. Today, GLP-1 mimicking drugs such as semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy), liraglutide (Saxenda and Victoza), and tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound) have revolutionized diabetes and obesity treatments.
What does this mean for implications for mental health?
While these drugs are primarily known for aiding weight loss and diabetes management, their widespread use has revealed unexpected mental health benefits. An analysis by Epic of over 4 million people found that GLP-1 medications were associated with a lower likelihood of depression and anxiety.
For instance, non-diabetic individuals on semaglutide were 37% less likely to be diagnosed with depression and 31% less likely to be diagnosed with anxiety. This hints at direct brain effects beyond the impacts of weight loss.
What do the studies show?
Researchers like Rodrigo Mansur at the University of Toronto are exploring these brain effects. GLP-1 receptors are found throughout the brain, including in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala—areas crucial for cognitive functions and emotional control.
A study in 2017 by Mansur and his colleagues found that individuals with major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder who took liraglutide experienced improved mood, attention span, and cognitive function, independent of significant weight loss.
How can GLP-1 drugs protect the brain?
GLP-1’s benefits may extend to brain protection. This hormone has been shown to increase brain blood flow, slow nerve cell death, and facilitate glucose transport across the blood-brain barrier. GLP-1 also reduces free radicals and curbs inflammation, which may help prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
What does this mean for treating addiction?
Researchers are examining whether GLP-1 drugs can treat substance addictions. Patricia Sue Grigson at Penn State found that liraglutide reduced opioid cravings by 40% among 20 patients in residential treatment. These drugs seem to modulate activity in brain regions associated with reward processing and cravings, such as the nucleus accumbens and locus coeruleus, reducing the appeal of drugs and easing withdrawal symptoms.
What is the impact of GLP-1 drugs on compulsive behaviors and psychiatric drug side effects?
GLP-1s may also help with eating disorders like binge eating, showing more efficacy than existing treatments in some studies. Additionally, they may offset weight gain caused by psychiatric drugs, making it easier for patients to adhere to necessary mental health treatments without fearing obesity.
What are the possible concerns and cultural impacts?
Despite the benefits, there are concerns about the misuse of GLP-1 drugs, such as their potential adverse effects when used by individuals with eating disorders like anorexia or by those who aren’t overweight.
Furthermore, the cultural impact of promoting these drugs can exacerbate weight-based discrimination, affecting mental health for some individuals.
What’s next?
Further research is essential to understand the exact mechanisms, appropriate dosages, and safety for individuals without obesity. Despite these challenges, people like Kathy Schwartz have found significant mental health benefits from semaglutide, preferring to continue its use indefinitely due to the positive changes they have experienced.
Simar Bajaj’s exploration reveals that weight-loss drugs like semaglutide might offer much more than weight reduction. They hold promise to improve mental health and brain function, potentially transforming treatments for various conditions.
To read the entire article, please visit New Scientist. If you need to subscribe to read it, it is worth it for you, your science-loving child, or a friend!
