Researchers find GLP-1 medications for type 2 diabetes could also help tackle depression
GLP-1 medications are often used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, though new findings suggest they may also help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Researchers have found that people taking GLP-1 medications to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity could also reduce risk of mental health complications.
Type 2 diabetes and obesity are both health conditions that can be linked to an increased risk of mental health symptoms.
In addition, people with mental health conditions have an elevated risk of metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Researchers have long been interested in the connections between these conditions and in how pharmacological treatments may affect both metabolic and mental health disorders.
To find out more, a large register-based study was carried out in collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland, Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and Griffith University in Australia.
The results of the study we recently published in The Lancet Psychiatry, and reported that GLP-1 medications used to treat diabetes and obesity were associated with a reduced need for hospital care and sickness absence due to psychiatric reasons.
Researchers said: “People with diabetes have an elevated risk of developing depression, anxiety, and suicide. GLP-1 receptor agonists are licensed to treat diabetes and obesity, but data on whether these medications alleviate or exacerbate anxiety, depression, and self-harm are mixed. We studied the risk of worsening mental illness in people already diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or both who were prescribed antidiabetic medications including GLP-1 receptor agonists.”
Previous research on the effects of GLP-1 medications on anxiety and depressive disorders was believed to be somewhat inconsistent, as based on smaller studies.
The latest study included nearly 100,000 participants, more than 20,000 of whom had used GLP-1 medications. Participants were followed through Swedish national registers between 2009 and 2022.
The results showed that the use of GLP-1 medications – especially semaglutide – was associated with a reduction in sickness absence and hospital care due to psychiatric reasons. During periods of semaglutide use, the reduction was 42% compared with periods when GLP-1 medications were not used. For depression, the risk was 44% lower, and for anxiety disorders, 38% lower.
In addition, semaglutide use was linked with a lower risk of substance use disorders. Researchers found that hospital care and sickness absence related to substance use were 47% lower during periods of semaglutide use compared with periods without GLP-1 medication. The use of GLP-1 receptor agonists was also linked with a reduced risk of suicidal behaviour.
The study concluded: “We found that semaglutide and, to a lesser extent, liraglutide were associated with significantly lower risk of worsening mental illness – defined as a combination of hospitalisation due to mental disorder or self-harm, sick leave for psychiatric reasons, or suicide – in people using antidiabetic medications, compared with time periods when GLP-1 receptor agonists were not used. When compared with time periods in which other second-line antidiabetic medications were used, semaglutide and liraglutide use periods were also associated with a significantly better outcome.
“Our findings suggest that a randomised controlled trial of GLP-1 receptor agonist use in people with diabetes and depression, anxiety, or both would be worthwhile.”
Professor Mark Taylor from Griffith University, and one of the study’s authors, said: “An earlier study examining Swedish registers found the use of GLP-1 medications to be associated with a reduced risk of alcohol use disorder. Alcohol-related problems often have downstream effects on mood and anxiety, so we expected the effect to be positive on these as well.”
Researchers added that they were surprised by the scale of their findings.
Research Director, Docent Markku Lähteenvuo from the University of Eastern Finland, said: “Because this is a registry-based study, we cannot determine exactly why or how these medications affect mood symptoms, but the association was quite strong. It is possible that, in addition to factors such as reduced alcohol consumption, weight loss-related improvements in body image, or relief associated with better glycaemic control in diabetes, there may also be direct neurobiological mechanisms involved – for example, through changes in the functioning of the brain’s reward system.”
Read the report in The Lancet Psychiatry
Read more about type 2 diabetes
I would like to make a regular donation of
There are lots of ways to raise money to support
people living with all forms of diabetes.
Bake, Swim, Cycle, Fly ... Do It For DRWF!
Fundraise with us
Recent News
