Weight loss jabs may be good for people’s mental health as well as helping curb their appetite, according to research.
A study by scientists from the University of Bern in Switzerland has found that appetite-suppressing injections also improve mood, wellbeing and quality of life more than insulin and other antidiabetic drugs.
Originally developed for diabetes patients, the medicines have transformed how obesity is treated and there is growing evidence of wider health benefits.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies calculates that about 13-15% of working-age people in England and Wales have a long-term mental health or behavioural condition, with 2 million people in contact with NHS mental health services in December 2024.
The research, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, Spain also found that weight loss jabs were safe and effective for adults taking antipsychotics or antidepressants for severe mental illness.
The drugs belong to a group known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, which slow digestion and reduce appetite. The authors found that treatment with the medicines, which include semaglutide (sold as Ozempic or Wegovy) were not associated with worse mental health, nor greater risk of new mental illness or psychiatric admissions.
Five studies found that they actually improved mental wellbeing and quality of life in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, major depressive disorder and bipolar effective disorder. For adults without mental illness, the weight loss injections had a greater beneficial effect on mental health than insulin and other antidiabetic drugs.
Lead author Dr Sigrid Breit, from the University of Bern, said: “GLP-1 RAs [receptor agonists] may have antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects, potentially due to their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties, which can also help reduce neuroinflammation.”
“These results are particularly important for people with severe mental disorders, who are three times more likely to be living with obesity than the general population.”
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Mental health experts welcomed the findings. Dr Ed Beveridge, the presidential lead for physical health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “We know that, for a variety of reasons, many people with mental illness will have weight management issues. Therefore, where clinically assessed as suitable, it is crucial that they are regarded as a priority group for access to semaglutide medication, with appropriate monitoring arrangements in place following prescribing.”
Rachel Hastings-Caplan, the clinical research policy manager at Rethink Mental Illness, said: “The physical health of people severely affected by mental illness is often overlooked, and they tragically die on average 20 years earlier than the rest of the population, often due to preventable conditions such as diabetes.
“They face the difficult choice of taking medications such as antipsychotics which, while potentially reducing symptoms of mental illness and helping them manage in day-to-day life, can worsen physical health through their side effects.
“While this study into weight loss jabs is important and promising, we believe such medications are only a short-term solution. We need to see more investment into finding treatments, whether that’s new medications or other forms of clinical support, which improve mental illness without troubling side-effects.
“Weight loss injections should only be used on prescription and in conjunction with medical advice, and particular consideration must be given around people at risk of eating disorders.”
