Forget weight loss, Ozempic could help alcoholics!

Ozempic and Wegovy, the weight loss picks taking Hollywood by storm, could also help alcoholics, a new study suggests.

The drug’s active ingredient, semaglutide, works by mimicking hormones that trick the brain into thinking the stomach is full, reducing people’s appetite and helping them shed excess pounds as a result.

But Swedish experts think the medication’s ability to hijack normal brain chemistry could also be used to break the cycle of alcohol abuse.

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg tested the chemical on dozens of rats that had been exposed to alcohol and, like many humans, came to enjoy it.

During the experiment, in addition to their food and drink, they were also allowed free play on a supply of alcohol.

Wegovy and Ozempic work by prompting the body to produce a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 that is naturally released from the gut after meals

Compared to rodents given a placebo, those taking semaglutide consumed half as much alcohol.

Once abstained from alcohol for a week to increase their cravings, alcoholic rats given the medication still drank much less.

This finding may be important for humans, as people who try to escape the clutches of alcohol addiction may end up drinking even more than before when they relapse.

Scientists were inspired to test semaglutide in alcohol-dependent rats after anecdotal reports from Ozempic patients that they had felt less alcohol cravings while taking the drug.

While drugs to help alcoholics already exist, their efficacy varies by patient, so unlocking new treatments could help more people.

The researchers publish their findings in the journal eBioMedicinealso went on to investigate why semaglutide helped the rats stay on the wagon.

Brain tests showed that the drug reached a part of the organ that releases dopamine – the “feel good” chemical.

Alcohol activates this area and this releases dopamine, creating the feeling of being ‘buzzed’.

But this feeling can create a feedback loop of behavior where people consume more and more alcohol to chase this feeling, creating an addiction.

Cajsa Aranäs, a doctoral student who worked on the study, said their research suggests that semaglutide inhibits this craving.

“Alcohol activates the brain’s reward system, which results in the release of dopamine, something that is seen in both humans and animals,” she said.

“This process is blocked in mice by the medication, and by our interpretation, could cause a reduction in alcohol-induced reward.”

The researchers added that while the findings were promising, more research is needed before semaglutide can be given to people who have trouble giving up alcohol.

However, they added that previous research in rodents using other drugs aimed at treating alcoholism had ultimately yielded similar results in humans.

There are currently four medicines available to help alcoholics on the NHS.

These include drugs that alter brain chemistry to stop cravings, as well as drugs that cause incredibly unpleasant sensations such as nausea and dizziness when alcohol enters the body.

According to government figures, there are 600,000 Britons with an alcohol addiction in England alone who need specialist treatment.

The dangers of excessive drinking are known to liver cirrhosis – scarring caused by continuous, long-term liver damage – strokes and cancer just a few.

However, recent research has shown that drinking alcohol can increase your risk of contracting as many as 60 diseases.

Excessive alcohol consumption is estimated to kill 27 Britons and 241 Americans every day, although the numbers vary depending on whether a death from alcohol is defined as strictly medical, such as liver failure, or related, such as death from drunk driving.