Obesity has become a worldwide health issue and studies have indicated that it may be involved in the development of a variety of medical illnesses. To assess whether there is sufficient evidence to imply this link, researchers undertook a large analysis of professional papers.

Over a thousand epidemiologic papers were examined, including clinical trials of weight-loss or weight-control therapies. These investigations included observational studies on cancer risk and fat excess. Because of this, the assessments focused on the dangers of being overweight rather than the benefits of preventative measures.

Studies varied in their risk assessments; most focused on adults’ body mass index (BMI), while others looked at childhood or adolescent BMI or body shape, weight or BMI changes over time, or other measures of adiposity, such as waist circumference.

The analysis considered relative-risk estimates where sufficient analyses of observational data were accessible. The absence of extra body fat, it was concluded, reduces the risk of cancer at previously described organ sites. In addition, study results point to the fact that being lean reduces the incidence of eight more cancers: gastric, cardiac, liver, gallbladder, pancreatic, ovarian, thyroid, multiple myeloma, and meningioma. Once again, however, we must understand that correlation does not equal causation. But the indicators are of concern and great interest.

If the newly introduced GLP-1 medication can control obesity, which, in turn, may reduce the incidence of cancer, researchers are now questioning whether these drugs may serve other purposes in healthcare. There is a belief that GLP-1 medication use may extend beyond obesity and weight control. What areas are they currently considering for studies with these medications?

GLP-1 for Addiction?

The World Health Organization (WHO) found that 2.6 million people die each year because of alcohol intake (or 4.7% of all deaths), and 0.6 million people die because of the use of psychotropic drugs. Men accounted for 0.4 million drug-related fatalities and 2 million alcohol-related fatalities. But while alcoholism remains a serious health hazard, there are other addictions to street or prescription drugs that are also of concern to healthcare professionals and patients.

Cocaine use disorder affects an estimated 5 million people. Worldwide, the death toll from cocaine overdoses is rising at a faster rate than that from opiate overdoses.

But there is an intriguing relationship between obesity and addiction. Substantial evidence in the literature linking obesity to substance use disorders supports a link of sorts. Studies have shown that when people are exposed to meals that are very tasty, certain hormones in the brain are triggered, which makes consuming unhealthy choices more likely.

This is analogous to what occurs in the brains of those who suffer from substance abuse disorders. Behaviors comparable to addiction to foods high in fat and sugar have led to studies employing animal models of obesity, discovering typical neurobiological features of addiction in the brain systems. The reward system that is engaged, and that perpetuates a preference for specific types of foods, may also be involved in addiction disorders.

The conclusion, currently, is that there is a viable solution for addiction through the use of the GLP-1 medications. Researchers must further investigate these specific connections and detail their interrelationships.

Since the discovery of GLP-1 medications for obesity, several off-label uses have also been shown to be useful. Researchers are actively exploring the growing number of diseases that these medications might treat, which is extremely promising.

The potential utility of GLP-1 disorders of addiction and others include: food addiction (binge eating), alcoholism, Parkinson’s disease, depression, anxiety, heart disease, hypertension, fatty liver, polycystic ovarian syndrome, chronic kidney disease, inflammation, and opiate and narcotic addictions.

Addiction regulation, inflammation reduction, dopamine pathway modulation, and insulin sensitivity are just a few of the many physiological consequences of these receptor agonists. Because of these processes, they are promising candidates for the treatment of diseases outside of their original indications.

Medical and scientific communities are highly intrigued by the prospect of GLP-1 medicines potentially treating this wide array of illnesses, but research into these uses is still in its early phases.

The future, however, appears promising as new indications come to light, and as research reveals the areas where they may be brought into a treatment regime that is successful. At this juncture, however, it is not always apparent which biological pathways are being affected and that is a remaining question for future research efforts.