People taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Vegovy, were 44% less likely to need treatment for depression and 42% less likely to need psychiatric hospital care compared with when they were not taking the drugs, according to a major new study published in The Lancet Psychiatry.
Research conducted on approximately 100000 individuals for 13 years showed that GLP-1 drugs have the strongest effect on mental health as per the research results.
The research was conducted by scientists from the University of Eastern Finland, Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, and Griffith University in Australia, based on Swedish health records between 2009 and 2022.
About 21,500 participants took GLP-1 receptor agonist medications during this time period. Instead of comparing people taking these drugs to people not taking them, scientists compared each participant’s condition while taking the drug to their condition without the drug.
In terms of duration of use, there was a 38% reduction in anxiety disorders, while among individuals who were diagnosed with a substance use disorder that required hospitalization or absence from work, there was a 47% reduction.
However, the relationship exists both ways because not only do individuals with obesity or type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of developing depression or anxiety, but individuals with mental illnesses also have an increased risk of developing metabolic disease.
GLP-1 drugs were already known to reduce alcohol use disorder. An earlier Swedish registry study had established that link, and Griffith University professor Mark Taylor said downstream effects on mood were hypothesized.
“Alcohol-related problems often have negative effects on mood and anxiety, so we expected it would have a positive effect on these as well,” he said.
Markku Lahenvuo, research director at the University of Eastern Finland, said the study cannot definitively prove how semaglutide affects psychological well-being.
Possible mechanisms may include the effects of weight loss on body image, improved blood sugar levels, reduced stress, reduced alcohol intake, and changes in the neurobiology of the brain, particularly reward centers. “The association was quite strong,” he said, meaning there’s more than just lifestyle changes involved here.
