People taking Ozempic and other blockbuster weight loss drugs expect them to curb their appetite and help them lose weight<\/a>.<\/p>\n GLP-1 agonists, which include Ozempic and also Wegovy and Mounjaro, mimic glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a naturally present hormone in the gut that slows digestion, regulates blood sugar and tells the body it’s full – which helps control diabetes<\/a> and weight.\u00a0<\/p>\n This directly stops a user’s appetite in its tracks and causes them to eat smaller portions.\u00a0<\/p>\n The drugs were originally developed for type 2 diabetes, and have become famous in recent years for helping to control obesity, but new research shows the drugs also do something else remarkable: they could actually rewire the human brain.<\/p>\n In a new study, researchers at the University of Virginia<\/a>\u00a0found a new generation of oral GLP-1s can directly influence brain circuits tied to reward and motivation, as well as hunger.\u00a0<\/p>\n This means the drugs may reshape the brain’s desire for food itself, along with appetite, which could help explain the drugs’ effectiveness, as well as side effects<\/a>\u00a0like nausea and stomach discomfort and losing interest in vices like sex, gambling and alcohol<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘This is just the beginning,’ Dr Ali D. G\u00fcler, lead study author and neuroscientist at the University of Virginia said. ‘If we understand these pathways, we may be able to design treatments that target specific behaviors \u2014 whether that\u2019s overeating, addiction or something else entirely.<\/p>\n ‘If these drugs are affecting reward pathways in the brain, that has implications beyond weight loss. It could influence things like addiction, impulse control or even how people experience pleasure.’<\/p>\n A new study found GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy may alter pathways in the brain (file photo)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/05\/29\/17\/108959743-15858713-A_new_study_found_GLP_1_medications_like_Ozempic_and_Wegovy_may_-a-2_1780072084982.jpg\")
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