GLP-1 Drugs and Their Unexpected Potential

There’s been a bit of a running joke surrounding GLP-1 medications, like semaglutide (found in Ozempic and Wegovy), suggesting they could be a solution for nearly everything—not just weight loss. A recent study proposes that these drugs might even help reduce violent tendencies.

Researchers at Rutgers University analyzed survey data from a nationally representative pool, looking into the differences between current and former users of GLP-1s. They observed that those currently on GLP-1s displayed a significantly weaker connection between impulsivity and violent behavior. While the findings don’t definitively prove that GLP-1s can diminish such tendencies, they do merit further investigation, according to the authors.

“We consider this study a first step toward understanding, not the final answer,” said Daniel Semenza, the lead researcher and director at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center.

Behavioral Implications of GLP-1s

GLP-1s can aid in weight management, which subsequently addresses various health issues related to obesity, like heart problems or knee pain. Some studies even suggest these drugs might influence behaviors beyond appetite suppression. For example, evidence indicates that GLP-1s may reduce harmful cravings for alcohol and other drugs.

This potential effect on addiction seems tied to how these medications influence impulse control and reward processing—an aspect that intrigued Semenza and his team.

“As criminologists, we found this particularly interesting since impulsivity and alcohol consumption are recognized as significant risk factors for violence,” he shared. “We wanted to see if GLP-1 usage could shift the dynamics between those risk factors and violent acts. To our knowledge, no prior study has tackled this directly.”

To delve into this, the researchers referred to a survey conducted last summer involving 7,521 U.S. adults, focusing specifically on 821 individuals who had ever tried a GLP-1, including 597 who were current users. Participants answered questions regarding their alcohol habits and impulsivity, like whether they might enjoy a high-speed chase or a fight. They were also asked—confidentially—about their involvement in violent crimes over the past year.

Interestingly, the researchers found notable disparities between current GLP-1 users and those who had previously used them but weren’t taking them anymore.

“People who had stopped using GLP-1s and showed high impulsivity and alcohol use reported increased violent behavior, aligning with decades of research. In contrast, the relationships among current users were far less pronounced,” Semenza explained.

Overall, the connection between impulsivity and violence in current GLP-1 users was approximately 62% weaker, while the association between alcohol consumption and violence was 52% weaker. However, after further analysis, the evidence about GLP-1s specifically impacting the relationship between alcohol use and violence wasn’t as clear. The study’s results appeared in the journal Criminology.

“GLP-1 receptor agonists seem to influence reward processing, craving, stress regulation, and behavioral control,” Semenza said. “One interpretation could be that these medications lessen how impulsive behaviors or alcohol-related risks lead to violent actions.”

Understanding the Implications

The authors emphasize that this study is observational and not set up to imply a cause-and-effect relationship between GLP-1 usage and decreased violent behavior. They aren’t claiming that GLP-1s will outright eliminate violence or prevent crime.

“What we found suggests that GLP-1 medications could influence behavioral pathways that affect violence risk,” Semenza noted.

There’s more to uncover to validate the findings and to figure out how GLP-1s might be shaping these pathways—a pursuit the researchers are currently engaging in.

“A crucial next step is to investigate these issues using large-scale longitudinal and administrative datasets that could illuminate causality and timing better,” Semenza mentioned. “We are especially keen on whether similar trends surface in data tracking medication use and its relation to the criminal justice system over time.”

In a broader sense, he pointed out that there’s still much to learn about the potential impacts these increasingly popular medications might have on behavior.

“The scientific community is just beginning to grasp the wider behavioral effects of these drugs,” he said. “Our study indicates that violence-related outcomes could be a factor in that discussion, but we need substantially more research before jumping to conclusions.”