Weight-loss drugs didn't improve mental health or job prospects
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Taking GLP-1 drugs didn't materially improve diabetic patients' mental health, job or marriage prospects, a new working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds.
Why it matters: While the drugs' health benefits are well documented, there's been much less study of whether they improve other parts of people's lives.
- The non-health benefits have increasing policy significance as public and private insurers weigh the benefits of expanding access to the injectables and pills, researchers said.
Driving the news: Economists studied more than a decade's worth of data on adults with diabetes after they began taking GLP-1s, looking for changes in well-being — including symptoms of depression or distress, as well as employment and marital status.
- While initial comparisons showed GLP-1 users did better on measures like employment and marriage, those differences largely disappeared over time, suggesting improvements were more a reflection of the individuals than changes caused by the drugs.
- For people with diabetes, the value of the drugs lies mostly in managing blood sugar levels and weight loss, the University of Chicago and Georgia Southern University researchers wrote.
Between the lines: Some recent studies have suggested positive non-health outcomes for GLP-1 users, including how women fared in jobs and relationships.
- Economic studies have also suggested that weight status and other physical attributes influence marriage and relationship status.
- The authors of the new paper said their findings don't suggest that the drugs have no effects beyond physical health, but that they're more subtle or harder to measure than many assume.
- Their study followed the same individuals and their circumstances between 2012 and 2023, instead of simply comparing people who took GLP-1s with those who didn't.
What's next: Lead author Robert Kaestner of the University of Chicago said more research is needed to understand whether there are broader social effects in other patient populations over time.
- That's important as research reveals more potential uses for the drugs, including for liver disease, addiction and inflammatory diseases.
