© Mike Cardew / USA TODAY NETWORK
pills and prescriptions
(New York, NY) – New research has neuroscientists hopeful about the ability to help curb addictive behavior such as drinking and smoking. Semaglutide, the active ingredient in diabetes and obesity-management drug Ozempic, mimics a hormone known as GLP-1. The body’s intestine produces it naturally, and it helps regulate glucose levels – which can suppress hunger.
Semaglutide is also found in the weight-loss drug Wegovy. GLP-1 also reduces how the brain’s reward system responds to dopamine. Medical professionals say that can help limit binge-eating and similar behavior.
Nearly 30 million teens and adults in the US suffer from alcohol-use disorder, and the next step involves researching how GLP-1 can help in their treatment. Not all patients respond the same way, and further studies are underway.
