Today is the second class of your new four class set. We will begin class with a causal conversation. We have one piece of material today, an audio story with a transcript. I want you to take the time to listen. You can listen with or without the transcript.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Many social drinkers who take obesity medication, such as Wegovy or Mounjaro, say they don't enjoy alcohol as much. A new study shows this experience isn't anecdotal. Here's NPR's Allison Aubrey.
ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: Tamara Hall is a 45-year-old mother of three. She began taking a GLP-1 obesity drug back in 2023. At that time, her blood sugar was high, and her weight put her in the category of having obesity. But 14 months later, she's lost more than 100 pounds.
TAMARA HALL: I feel amazing. This is the best I've felt in my entire adult life. To not be considered diabetic - not even prediabetic - is life-changing, truly. It really is.
AUBREY: Along the way, Hall says she cut way back on alcohol. It wasn't necessarily intentional. She says she was never a big drinker. She'd have a glass of wine or a cocktail at a social event. But once she was on the medicine, the appeal of alcohol faded.
HALL: I didn't know that it would have the impact of me not wanting the alcohol. So I think it's a huge benefit, for sure.
AUBREY: Her experience fits with the results of the new study of Weight Watchers members who were taking Wegovy, Mounjaro and other obesity medications. Study author Lisa Matero is a health psychologist and researcher at Henry Ford Health. She says the study included about 14,000 members, mostly women.
LISA MATERO: So the main finding is that approximately 50% of patients who consumed alcohol at baseline reported decreased alcohol use after initiating their anti-obesity medication.
AUBREY: Those who had the highest levels of drinking were about 19 times more likely to cut back, compared to those who were categorized as light drinkers. Dr. Robert Kushner of Northwestern University has studied GLP-1 drugs and is a consultant to drug makers. He says it's not exactly clear why many people may have less appetite for alcohol, but it's not a surprise. He's heard it from patients, too.
ROBERT KUSHNER: They would tell us that they would drink less or even shop less. And I think it's because these receptors are found throughout the brain, including the reward centers of the brain. So I think this is an extension of this reward-based biology that we see that these drugs are affecting.
AUBREY: There's a lot more to learn about these drugs. Dr. Lorenzo Leggio is clinical director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. He says the new study adds to the evidence that obesity drugs may be helpful for people who struggle with alcohol.
LORENZO LEGGIO: We are very, very excited about the idea, the possibility, that these drugs may be effective for alcohol addiction and other addictions.
AUBREY: There are randomized controlled trials underway, which are considered the gold standard in medical research. In the meantime, he points to the availability of medications already approved by the FDA for alcohol use disorder, such as naltrexone.
LEGGIO: If you have an alcohol problem now, don't wait to see whether these medications work or not.
AUBREY: The new study comes at a time of increased focus on feeling healthy, and limiting alcohol can help achieve that goal. Here's Michelle Cardel, the chief nutrition officer at Weight Watchers.
MICHELLE CARDEL: Most people that we talk to get on these medications because they're overall just trying to get healthier, and so reducing alcohol consumption can also be part of that journey.
AUBREY: The new study helps to better disentangle how the obesity medications can help influence that journey.