By Carla K. Johnson, Associated Press

Medications that have transformed Treatment of obesity can also help people drink Less alcoholaccording to new government -funded research.

The study was small – only 48 adults – and lasted for just over two months, so that’s not the last word. Experts say it is not yet clear how safe these drugs are for people who do not have to lose weight.

But the results contribute to evidence from animal studies and reports that people find drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy that are useful for managing desires, not only for food, but also for tobacco and alcohol. Researchers study these drugs in smokers, people with opioid addiction and cocaine users.

“This is so promising data. And we need more of it, ”said the study’s co -author Dr. Klara Klein, from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, who treats patients with diabetes and obesity. “We will often hear that when people start these medicines as their desire to drink is highly reduced, if not completely abolished.”