GLP-1 medications may reduce violent behavior in adults

The use of GLP-1 medications commonly prescribed for weight loss or managing diabetes may have effects that extend beyond metabolic health, including on behaviors linked to violence, according to Rutgers researchers.

Their study, published in Criminology, examined whether the use of GLP-1 receptor agonist medications, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, influences violent criminal behavior among adults by moderating the effects of impulsivity and alcohol intake.

Researchers analyzed data from a 2025 survey of 7,521 U.S. adults and focused their primary analyses on 821 individuals who had ever used a GLP-1 medication. The study compared current GLP-1 users with former users and examined whether medication use changed the relationship between violent behavior, impulsivity and alcohol use. Violent behavior was measured using a validated self-reported offending scale assessing behaviors such as fighting, assault and robbery.

"The strongest finding in the study was that the well-established link between impulsivity and violent behavior was substantially weaker among current GLP-1 users compared to former users," said Daniel Semenza, the lead author of the study as well as the director of research at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at the Rutgers School of Public Health and an associate professor with the Rutgers School of Public Health. "As GLP-1 drugs become increasingly widespread, it is important to understand all of their potential behavioral effects, including those relevant to public safety," Semenza said.

Researchers found that higher impulsivity and alcohol use were strongly associated with violent behavior overall, but those relationships were significantly weaker among current GLP-1 users. The association between impulsivity and violent behavior was about 62% weaker among current users compared with former users. The relationship between alcohol use and violent behavior was about 52% weaker among current users, although those findings were less consistent across sensitivity analyses.

Our findings are consistent with these medications working like cognitive behavioral therapy, weakening the path from impulse to action rather than eliminating impulsivity itself."

Christopher Thomas, assistant professor at Rutgers University-Camden and coauthor of the study

The study was observational and cross-sectional, meaning causal conclusions cannot be drawn, the researchers said. They emphasized the need for future longitudinal and experimental studies to determine whether GLP-1 medications reduce violence risk and to better understand the mechanisms involved.