Weight kicks can be good for people ‘mental health and help brake their appetite, according to research.
A study carried out by scientists from the University of Bern in Switzerland revealed that injections of abolition of appetite also improve the mood, well-being and quality of life than insulin and other antidiabetic drugs.
Initially developed for diabetic patients, drugs have transformed the treatment of obesity and there are evidence more and more health benefits.
The Institute for Tax Studies calculates that around 13 to 15% of people in England in England in Wales have mental health or a long -term state of behavior, with 2 million people in contact with NHS mental health services in December 2024.
Research, presented at the European Congress on obesity in Malaga, Spain, also found that weight blows were safe and effective for adults taking antipsychotics or antidepressants for a serious mental illness.
Drugs belong to a group known as the Glucagon type peptide-1 receptors (GLP-1), which slow down digestion and reduce appetite. The authors found that treatment with drugs, which includes semaglutide (sold like Ozempique or Wegovy) were not associated with good mental health, nor with a higher risk of new mental illnesses or psychiatric admission.
Five studies have revealed that they actually improved mental well-being and quality of life in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, major depressive disorders and bipolar effective disorders. For adults without mental illness, weight loss injections have had a greater beneficial effect on mental health than insulin and other antidiabetic drugs.
The main author, Dr. Sigrid Breit, of the University of Bern, said: “GLP-1 RAS [receptor agonists] Can have antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects, potentially because of their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which can also help reduce neuroinflammation. »»
“These results are particularly important for people with serious mental disorders, which are three times more likely to live with obesity than the general population.”
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Mental health experts praised the results. Dr. Ed Beveridge, the presidential official of physical health at the Royal College of Psychiatricists, said: “We know that, for various reasons, many people with mental illness will have weight management problems.
Rachel Hastings-Caplan, responsible for the clinical research policy for Rethink, said: “The physical health of people seriously affected by mental illness is often overlooked, and they die tragically on average 20 years earlier than the rest of the population, often due to avoidable conditions such as diabetes.
“They are confronted with the difficult choice of taking medication such as antipsychotics which, while potentially reducing the symptoms of mental illness and helping them to manage in daily life, can worsen physical health thanks to their side effects.
“Although this study on weight loss jab is significant and promising, we believe that these drugs are just a short -term solution. We must see more investment in the search for treatments, whether new drugs or other forms of clinical support, which improves mental disease without secondary workforce.
“Weight loss injections should only be used on prescription and jointly with medical advice, and particular consideration should be granted to people at risk of food disorders.”
