Highlights
- Wegovy and Ozempic can reduce the risk of depression worsening by 44 per cent according to a Lancet Psychiatry study.
- The study looked at health records of more than 95,000 patients including 22,480 people using GLP-1 drugs.
- The findings help dismiss earlier concerns that the drugs increased the risk of suicidal behaviour or new mental illness.
Prof Mark Taylor of Griffith University in Queensland told The Telegraph "We were surprised at the scale of the findings. For GPs and diabetic specialists out there if you've got someone in your clinic who has obesity or Type 2 diabetes as well as depression or anxiety it's worth thinking about."
The drugs were originally developed to treat Type 2 diabetes and work by mimicking a hormone that regulates blood sugar and insulin levels.
They have since become widely used for weight loss by suppressing appetite and have been taken by celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk.
How the drugs work
Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and Griffith University in Australia found that semaglutide and liraglutide sold as Saxenda reduced the risk of mental illness getting worse compared to periods when patients were not taking the drugs.
Worsening mental illness in the study included psychiatric hospitalisation sick leave for more than two weeks and hospitalisation from self-harm or suicide. The drugs were also linked to a lower risk of substance abuse.
Research director Markku Lähteenvuo from the University of Eastern Finland stated that the benefits could be linked to weight loss improvements in body image reduced alcohol consumption and direct changes in how the brain's reward system works.
The findings help dismiss earlier concerns that the drugs raised the risk of suicidal behaviour or new psychiatric conditions.
Previous research had already suggested the jabs may have antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects possibly due to their anti-inflammatory properties.
More than three million Britons are currently claiming health benefits with 91 per cent of claims since the pandemic linked to mental and behavioural disorders.
