Rutgers University study connects GLP-1 medications, lower risk of violent behavior
New research from Rutgers University in New Jersey says there could be a new connection between popular diet drugs and reduced violent behavior.
The observational research looked at people taking GLP-1 medications and found the drugs lowered levels of behaviors linked to violence.
Popular GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are approved for diabetes and obesity. New research from Rutgers says the medications might also change behaviors linked to crime and violence.
"We looked at things like assault. We looked at the things like armed robbery, getting into fights," Daniel Semenza, the lead author of the study at Rutgers, said.
Semenza said the research covered 821 people. It showed that the well-established link between impulsivity and violent behavior was substantially weaker among current GLP-1 users compared to people who were no longer taking the medication.
"GLP-1 users, the likelihood that being highly impulsive is lower for translating into violence than it would be for people who aren't on drugs," Semenza said. "We were quite surprised with how robust the impulsivity finding was in particular."
Semenza emphasized the study was observational and does not prove that GLP-1 medications directly reduce violent behavior.
Experts say crime and violence are strongly linked to issues with impulse control, and the drugs appear to work on parts of the brain linked to compulsive behavior like overeating.
"It seems to influence things like reward processing," Semenza said. "And how people respond to things like cravings."
People taking the diet drugs say cravings, often called food noise, are dramatically reduced.
"One potential theory here is that there is something happening in the brain through these drugs that is quieting down that noise and allowing kind of more calmness and a more measured response to things," Semenza said.
Semenza said it's the beginning of what could be an important connection, but a lot more research is needed.
Other research has shown the popular drugs might reduce heart disease and breast cancer that may be related to the weight loss, or a lowering of inflammation. But more research is needed.
