Semaglutide weight loss drug may support quit smoking: study

A recent study shows that a popular weight-loss and diabetes drug containing semaglutide can support smokers quit.

Researchers made the engaging discovery after analyzing the medical records of more than 200,000 recent users of diabetes medications, including about 6,000 people who started taking semaglutide medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy.

In addition to semaglutide, other antidiabetic drugs have been studied, such as insulin, metformin, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, and other GLP-1RA drugs.

While testResearchers examined whether people with tobacco operate disorder who took any of these diabetes medications received quit-smoking prescriptions or were referred for counseling during their doctor visits. After a year of follow-up, researchers found a reduction in the number of prescriptions and referrals for counseling among people taking semaglutide medications.

The results, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, showed that the smoking cessation effect was greatest within 30 days of starting semaglutide. However, the effect persisted for about 180 days before leveling off.

“Semaglutide was associated with a lower risk of tobacco operate disorder-related health problems in patients with comorbid type 2 diabetes and tobacco operate disorder compared with other antidiabetic medications, including other GLP-1Ras inhibitors, mainly within 30 days of prescription,” the researchers wrote in the study.

Although the study was observational in nature and did not follow factors such as actual tobacco operate, cravings or quitting, the researchers call their findings significant. They indicate that cigarette smoking remains a leading cause of preventable disease and death, and any progress toward effective prevention is a promising step forward.

The researchers cautioned, however, that their findings were too preliminary to suggest prescribing semaglutide-based medications for smoking cessation; further studies are needed to assess the effect of semaglutide in treating tobacco operate disorder.

The study did not assess the exact mechanism by which semaglutide helps reduce smoking. However, previous research suggests it has to do with the drug’s effects on the brain’s reward system.

A similar recent one test published in the journal Nature Communications established an association between the operate of the medication semaglutide and a reduction in alcohol operate disorders. The study showed about a 50%-56% reduction in the risk of both the occurrence and recurrence of alcohol operate disorders in people using semaglutide during the 12-month follow-up.