June 18, 2026, 12:12 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
Medications like Ozempic or Wegovy are primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. A new study now points to a previously overlooked connection: Among people who took so-called GLP-1 receptor agonists (weight loss injections), the link between impulsivity, alcohol consumption, and violent offenses was significantly weaker. FITBOOK also inquired with the study authors about this.
How the Study Was Conducted
The current study from Rutgers University examined whether GLP-1 receptor agonists–including the active ingredients semaglutide, liraglutide, dulaglutide, and exenatide, which are primarily used for type 2 diabetes and obesity–could influence the connection between known risk factors for violence and actual violent behavior. This is based on previous indications that these substances not only regulate metabolism but may also affect reward behavior, impulse control, and addiction tendencies.1
The focus was on two long-known risk factors for aggressive behavior: impulsivity and alcohol consumption. The researchers suspected that GLP-1 medications might mitigate the transition from these risk factors to violent behavior.
The study was based on a representative U.S. survey from 2025 with a total of 7,521 adults. For the analysis, the researchers only considered individuals who had experience with GLP-1 medications. The sample included 821 people, among them 597 current and 224 former users.
Various self-reported violent acts within the past twelve months were recorded, including physical assaults, fights, threats with weapons, and robberies. Additionally, impulsivity and alcohol consumption were measured using established survey instruments. To make current and former users as comparable as possible, the researchers considered factors such as age, gender, income, education, diabetes diagnosis, and body weight.
Impulsivity Less Often Led to Violent Behavior
The results initially confirmed known connections: People with higher impulsivity and greater alcohol consumption more frequently reported violent behavior. However, the researchers could not establish a direct link between the current use of GLP-1 medications and a reduced tendency toward violence.
The findings became intriguing when examining the risk factors: Among individuals currently taking GLP-1 medications, the connection between impulsivity or alcohol consumption and violence was significantly weaker than among former users. This effect was particularly evident with impulsivity. Statistically, the link between impulsivity and violence was about 62 percent weaker, and for alcohol consumption, about 52 percent.
The results suggest that GLP-1 medications may not directly alter the risk factors but could weaken their influence on violent behavior.
Dr. Daniel Semenza, one of the study’s lead authors, was particularly surprised by the finding on impulsivity: “Impulsivity is considered one of the best-documented risk factors for violence, so we expected a strong connection with violent behavior. However, it was striking how much weaker this connection seemed to be among current GLP-1 users compared to former users.”
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What This Specifically Means
As a possible explanation, the authors point to known effects of the medications on the brain. Previous studies suggest that they could influence reward and stress systems, which play an important role in impulse control and behavior. “If these effects indeed exist, a possible explanation would be that people are less inclined to act immediately on strong impulses or emotional reactions,” Dr. Semenza told FITBOOK.
The researchers draw an interesting comparison: Just as the injection silences the constant mental chatter about food (the so-called ‘food noise’) for many, it could also dampen the “cognitive noise” associated with impulsivity or addiction pressure. This might help affected individuals maintain control in heated moments instead of reacting aggressively.
The results thus open a new perspective for research. However, whether the observed effects are clinically relevant remains unclear at this time.
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Study Context and Possible Limitations
The strengths of the study include the large, representative sample and the consideration of numerous potential influencing factors. Additional analyses particularly supported the finding that the connection between impulsivity and violence was weakened among current GLP-1 users.
Nevertheless, the study has some limitations. As it is an observational study, it cannot be determined whether the medications actually caused the observed differences. Dr. Semenza says: “For these reasons, I view the study as an important first step and not a definitive answer.” Additionally, the reports of violent acts are based on self-reports, which can be prone to error.
Current and former users might also differ in important, unrecorded characteristics, such as the reasons for discontinuing the medications. The results regarding alcohol consumption also proved to be less stable than those for impulsivity.
It was also notable that the observed effect mainly occurred in violent offenses. In non-violent crimes such as theft or vandalism, it was significantly weaker. Since the overall violence rate in the studied population sample was low, it remains unclear whether the results can be applied to high-risk groups.
The study, however, provides initial indications of a possible connection. Whether GLP-1 medications, or weight loss injections, actually influence aggressive or violent behavior will need to be shown by further investigations.