Overview

• Peer-reviewed results published Wednesday in Scientific Reports detail a controlled, single-session pilot from Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute.
• Twenty adults with obesity were tested, with half taking maintenance doses of semaglutide, tirzepatide, or liraglutide and half not using GLP-1 medications.
• Participants consumed alcohol to target a breath alcohol concentration near 0.08%, and GLP-1 users showed a slower increase in breath alcohol levels.
• GLP-1 users reported feeling less intoxicated and lower alcohol craving during and around the session, even though both groups reached similar end-point alcohol levels.
• Authors stress the findings are preliminary and say larger randomized trials evaluating GLP-1 therapy for alcohol use disorder are underway.