Ozempic, Wegovy and other GLP-1 drugs have been shown to curb alcohol effects, a new study suggests.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1) agonists — which contain either semaglutide or liraglutide — are prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, but previous studies have shown that people report decreased alcohol consumption when taking them.

In a new study by the University of Eastern Finland and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, researchers found that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) were less likely to be hospitalized for alcohol or substance abuse-related conditions.

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The researchers analyzed decades of data from 228,000 people in Sweden who had AUD, ranging in age from 16 to 64, according to a press release.

For participants who had AUD, obesity and type 2 diabetes, the use of GLP-1 medications was linked to “substantially decreased risk of hospitalization due to AUD,” the researchers wrote.

Patients taking semaglutide (such as Ozempic and Wegovy) showed a 36% lower risk, and those taking liraglutide (Victoza) had a 28% lower risk.

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The GLP-1 drugs were shown to be even more effective than naltrexone, which is regarded as the best drug for alcohol use disorder.

“Our study suggests that besides obesity and diabetes, GLP-1-agonists may also help in the treatment of alcohol and substance use disorders; however, these findings need to be further validated in randomized controlled trials,” lead study author Markku Lähteenvuo, docent of forensic psychiatry at the University of Eastern Finland and the Niuvanniemi Hospital, said in the release.

For participants who had alcohol use disorder, obesity and type 2 diabetes, the use of GLP-1 medications was linked to “substantially decreased risk of hospitalization due to AUD,” the researchers wrote. (iStock)

This isn’t the first study to link GLP-1s to reduced alcohol intake, according to Dr. Sue Decotiis, MD, a weight-loss doctor in New York City.

“There have been many studies that show GLP-1 mitigate the desire to consume alcohol,” Decotiis, who was not involved in the Swedish study, told Fox News Digital.

“Over 50% of my patients on semaglutide and tirzepatide have remarkably less desire to drink alcohol.”

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Decotiis also mentioned a new weight-loss drug — Retatrutide, made by Eli Lilly — that is said to be even more effective against alcohol addiction. 

“All in all, these drugs have shown time and time again that they enhance overall, long-term health throughout the entire body,” she said.

Patients taking semaglutide (such as Ozempic and Wegovy) showed a 36% lower risk of alcohol-related hospitalization, and those taking liraglutide (Victoza) had a 28% lower risk. (iStock)

Approximately 28.9 million people 12 and older had AUD in the past year, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Novo Nordisk, maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, provided the below statement to Fox News Digital.

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“Novo Nordisk welcomes independent research investigating the safety, efficacy and clinical utility of our products. However, none of our semaglutide-containing products are indicated for the treatment of addiction-related illnesses.”

Approximately 28.9 million people 12 and older had alcohol use disorder in the past year, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. (iStock)

“Importantly, our clinical studies have not been designed to assess the effectiveness of semaglutide on alcohol use disorder and tobacco use disorder or other addiction-related illnesses. We support our products being prescribed to patients who meet the indicated criteria and only promote the FDA-approved indications of our medicines for appropriate patients.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers and also to Eli Lilly, maker of Retatrutide, requesting comment.

The number of people living with diabetes worldwide has quadrupled in the past two decades, with 830 million people diagnosed as of 2022, as published this week in The Lancet.

That’s more than four times the number of people who had the disease in 1990, according to a Thursday announcement from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Among the people with diabetes, more than half are not taking medication to control it, the above source also noted.

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The prevalence of the disease has grown more quickly in low- and middle-income countries, where there is also the least access to treatment.

Diabetes directly led to 1.6 million deaths in 2021, with nearly half of them occurring before 70 years of age, WHO stated.

Another 530,000 related deaths were attributed to kidney disease.

Why the spike?

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) outlines the following four reasons for the increase in diabetes rates.

1. Diet

“Eating a diet high in fat and processed sugar can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes,” the ADA wrote.

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In particular, the organization recommends drinking water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages.

2. Lack of physical activity

“Being physically active less than three times a week can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes,” the ADA states.

Experts recommend that American adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, along with at least two days of muscle-strengthening exercises.

3. Being overweight or obese

Although excess weight increases diabetes risk, the ADA notes that many diabetes patients are at a normal weight or only moderately overweight.

In 2022, one in every eight people in the world were living with obesity, according to the World Health Organization. (iStock)

In 2022, one in every eight people in the world were living with obesity, according to WHO.

4. Family history

“Having a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes,” the ADA noted.

In a Thursday press release, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attributed the “alarming rise” in diabetes to the “increase in obesity (compounded by the impacts of the marketing of unhealthy food), a lack of physical activity and economic hardship.”

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Rising obesity rates and high-sugar diets go hand in hand, experts say.

“Poor nutrition and unhealthy lifestyles are at the heart of this spike, especially for vulnerable populations who often face challenges such as not being able to access and afford healthy food, an issue that has only further been exacerbated by inflation,” said Dr. Arti Masturzo, chief medical officer at CCS, an Ohio-based company focused on simplifying holistic chronic care management for patients.

“Having a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes,” the ADA noted. (iStock)

“Healthy food is expensive, as are gym memberships, which means that not all people can afford them — or get to them if they live in rural areas,” she told Fox News Digital.

Jessica M. Kelly, a registered dietitian nutritionist with Nutrition That Heals in Pennsylvania, also pointed to convenience foods as a potential culprit. 

“The number of adults living with diabetes has likely increased due to the ease and prevalence of ordering convenient foods from the comfort of home,” she told Fox News Digital.

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An increase in sedentary lifestyles is also a key contributing factor.

“We’ve become increasingly more sedentary as a society for a whole host of reasons, from increasing work hours to too much time spent using technology, like social media,” said Masturzo.

Diabetes led to 1.6 million deaths in 2021, with nearly half of them occurring before 70 years of age.

Around one-third of adults worldwide did not meet the recommended levels of physical activity in 2022, according to WHO.

Family history, age and ethnicity can also raise diabetes risk.

What needs to change?

“To bring the global diabetes epidemic under control, countries must urgently take action,” WHO’s Tedros wrote in the release. 

“This starts with enacting policies that support healthy diets and physical activity and, most importantly, health systems that provide prevention, early detection and treatment.”

To reduce diabetes rates, Masturzo calls for regulators to “step up and ensure that they enforce healthy food options.”

The American Diabetes Association recommends drinking water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages. (iStock)

“Many other countries are far ahead of the U.S. when it comes to such regulations today, particularly in relation to food additives and food labels,” she emphasized. 

“As a country, we must also identify new ways to encourage food manufacturers and fast-food restaurants to make healthier food more affordable for all.”

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Kelly recommends that diabetes patients work with a registered dietitian who can help them create “sustainable nutrition practices that support blood sugar control and management.”

“To bring the global diabetes epidemic under control, countries must urgently take action.”

Increased physical activity will also help to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, she added.

In tandem with Thursday’s call to action, WHO also announced the launch of a “global monitoring framework on diabetes” to give countries guidance in measuring and evaluating diabetes prevention and care.

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“By tracking key indicators such as glycemic control, hypertension and access to essential medicines, countries can improve targeted interventions and policy initiatives,” WHO wrote. 

Online e-cigarette and vape retailers are under fire for not complying with sales restrictions.

Regulations are in place to help prevent the sale of vape products to minors, including age verification, shipping methods and flavor restrictions.

Researchers at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego put those regulations to the test.

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The study, published in JAMA last week, suggested that some retailers are not following these guidelines.

Researchers asked 16 people to purchase flavored vapes online and have them delivered to their homes in San Diego County.

Out of the 156 attempted transactions, 73% were processed and 67% of orders were delivered.

Sales restrictions on flavored tobacco have been enacted in eight U.S. states and 392 cities or counties as of March 21, 2024, according to UC San Diego.

“The results suggest that it is incredibly easy to buy flavored vaping products online, even in areas where they are restricted.”

Some restrictions on online transactions are “ambiguous,” they stated, including in states like California.

Eight of the buyers in the study were from the city of San Diego, where there is an ordinance that restricts the sale of flavored tobacco products, as stated in a press release.

Failure to comply

The purchases made in the study violated flavor restrictions as well as the Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act.

The act is a “federal law that prohibits the use of the United States Postal Service (USPS) to ship vaping products [and] requires both age verification and scanning identification upon delivery,” UC San Diego stated.

The research revealed that only 1% of buyers had their IDs scanned and 81% of deliveries were made via USPS.

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There was no interaction reported with delivery personnel for 78% of buyers, while 15% did speak with delivery personnel but did not have their IDs checked.

Eric Leas, Ph.D., lead study author and assistant professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, discussed the findings in a conversation with Fox News Digital.

There are regulations in place designed to prevent the online sale of vape products to minors. (iStock)

“The results suggest that it is incredibly easy to buy flavored vaping products online, even in areas where they are restricted,” he said. 

“They also suggest that, for the most part, retailers disregard federal and state laws pertaining to shipping requirements and age verification.”

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Leas warned that this is “especially an issue for efforts to limit youth vaping.”

To prevent these sales from slipping through the cracks, Leas suggested conducting routine checks to “monitor and enforce compliance among online retailers.”

A 2023 study found that online shopping queries for vape products were 162% higher than expected. (iStock)

Online e-cigarette sales are the “largest and fastest-growing sector of the tobacco [industry],” Leas noted in a press release.

This is according to Leas’ 2023 study published in Tobacco Control, which found that online shopping queries for cigarettes were 194% higher than expected, and were 162% higher than expected for vape products.

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“We need to evaluate tobacco retail policies and ensure they cover eCommerce, and monitor the market to improve implementation,” he said.

In response to the Tobacco Control study, California lawmakers recently approved law SB-1230 to strengthen state tobacco oversight programs. That law is expected to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, the release stated.

‘Not a new issue’

Micah Berman, an attorney who is a member of the Cancer Control Research Program at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, told Fox News Digital that “this is not a new issue.”

“The Tobacco Control Act required the FDA to issue a regulation to address remote sales (including online sales) within 18 months of the law’s enactment,” he said. 

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“Nearly 14 years after that deadline passed, the FDA still has never issued such a rule.”

This study suggests that communities nationwide are having their local laws “undermined by easy access to online e-cigarettes and other tobacco products,” Berman added.

Online e-cigarette sellers failing to comply with regulations is “not a new issue,” according to an attorney with knowledge of the issue. (iStock)

“It’s simply not feasible for local governments to regulate online sales,” he said. “To make progress on this issue, the FDA must fulfill its obligation to issue regulations, and it must be more aggressive in its efforts to block illegal online sales.”

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed to Fox News Digital that the agency is reviewing the findings of the study.

Fox News Digital reached out to several online vape sellers requesting comment.