Weight loss jabs may be good for people’s mental health as well as helping curb their appetite, according to research. The Institute for Fiscal Studies calculates that about 13-15% of working-age people in England and Wales have a long-term mental health or behavioural condition, with 2 million people in contact with NHS mental health services in December 2024. The authors found that treatment with the medicines, which include semaglutide (sold as Ozempic or Wegovy) were not associated with worse mental health, nor greater risk of new mental illness or psychiatric admissions. For adults without mental illness, the weight loss injections had a greater beneficial effect on mental health than insulin and other antidiabetic drugs. “While this study into weight loss jabs is important and promising, we believe such medications are only a short-term solution.

Source: The Guardian May 11, 2025 14:32 UTC