WEDNESDAY, March 25, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, especially semaglutide, are associated with a reduced risk for worsening of anxiety and depression that co-occur with diabetes and obesity, according to a study published in the April issue of The Lancet Psychiatry.
Heidi Taipale, Ph.D., from the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, and colleagues examined the risk for worsening mental illness in people already diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or both, who were prescribed antidiabetic medications, including GLP-1 receptor agonists. GLP-1 receptor agonists were compared to nonuse of GLP-1 receptor agonists in a cohort of 95,490 people (mean age, 50.6 years). During the follow-up period, 22,480 individuals used GLP-1 receptor agonists.
The researchers found that semaglutide and liraglutide were associated with a lower risk for worsening mental illness compared with nonuse of GLP-1 receptor agonists (adjusted hazard ratios, 0.58 and 0.82, respectively), while exenatide and dulaglutide were not. Semaglutide was associated with a reduced risk for worsening depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder (adjusted hazard ratios, 0.56, 0.62, and 0.53, respectively), while liraglutide was only associated with a reduced risk for worsening depression (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.74). As a group, GLP-1 receptor agonists were associated with a reduced risk for self-harm (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.56).
"Because this is a registry-based study, we cannot determine exactly why or how these medications affect mood symptoms, but the association was quite strong," coauthor Markku Lähteenvuo, Ph.D., also from the University of Eastern Finland, said in a statement. "It is possible that, in addition to factors such as reduced alcohol consumption, weight loss-related improvements in body image, or relief associated with better glycemic control in diabetes, there may also be direct neurobiological mechanisms involved -- for example, through changes in the functioning of the brain’s reward system."
Two authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.