Until law, GLP-1 drugs were used to treat diabetes, obesity and even the recent evidences suggest that it could as well be used to treat chronic kidney problems. There is yet another research, published in JAMA Psychiatry on February 25, titled Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial that explores if GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide reduce alcohol consumption and cravings in adults with alcohol use disorder.

What Do Studies Say?

The research was conducted over a period of 9 weeks, where in the randomized clinical trial, the participants who were administered semaglutide, it led to reductions in some but not all measures of weekly consumptions. It also reduced weekly alcohol and craving related to placebo, and also led to a greater relative reduction in cigarettes per day.

The research also found that weekly injections of semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in weight loss drugs like Wegovy also helped reduce cravings in people with alcohol use disorder.

The lead author Christian Hendershot said that these findings will help in developing new approaches to treat alcoholism. "Two drugs currently approved to reduce alcohol consumption aren't widely used. The popularity of Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists increases the chances of broad adoption of these treatments for alcohol use disorder," said Hendershot in news release by the University of Southern California's Institute for Addiction Research, where he is the director.

The study is government-funded research and was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health.

How Was The Study Conducted?

The study was small, and took in account for only 48 adults over two months, thus experts say that it is not yet clear how safe these drugs are for people who do not need to lose weight. Though the results do add up with the evidence form animal studies on drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy on how it helps manage cravings, not just for food, but also for tobacco and alcohol. Scientists are also studying these drugs on smokers, people with opioid addiction and cocaine users.

Co-author Dr Klara Klein of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who treats people with obesity and diabetes said, "This is such promising data. And we need more of it. We frequently will hear that once people start these medications that their desire to drink is very reduced, if not completely abolished."

Why Does It Work So Well Against Alcoholism?

The GLP-1 receptor agonists work by mimicking hormones GLP-1 in the gut and brain that regulates appetite and feelings of fullness. This response is what helps one lose weight, and what helps one curb their craving for alcohol. These drugs that mimic the functioning of your brain, which is responsible to tell your body when to stop consuming, are the same hormones that tell your body about other kinds of consumptions, including alcohol. Therefore by consuming the weight loss drugs one can treat alcohol use disorder.

However, the researchers have pointed out on the limited data on the research and have suggested to continue using the three approved drugs by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, namely, Disulfiram, Naltrexone, and Acamprosate to treat alcohol use disorder until large studies confirm these findings.

While the GLP-1 drug semaglutide (marketed under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy) has established its benefits in treating diabetes, supporting weight loss and improving heart health, a new study has found that it may also have the potential to extend lifespan in older, healthy mice — by 12%.

GLP-1 drugs have previously been found to delay the onset of several age-related diseases in animals. However, the new study, published in Nature, provides evidence in healthy older mice that these drugs may slow physiological aging itself.

“Most chronic diseases are deeply rooted in the aging process. If GLP-1 agonists do indeed slow it down, then a wide range of clinical benefits is exactly what you’d expect to see,” said Rafael de Cabo, a senior investigator at the NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA).

How Did Semaglutide Extend Lifespan In Healthy Mice?

The NIH-funded study found that semaglutide extended lifespan in older, healthy mice by tempering some of the detrimental effects of aging.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, directly compared the effects of semaglutide with those of reduced food intake.

They found that the drug mimicked some of the anti-aging benefits of calorie restriction, while providing greater benefits in some areas.

To understand the impact of GLP-1 treatment at a time when the effects of aging are most pronounced, the study authors, led by Danica Chen, administered semaglutide to 20-month-old female mice for three months.

Also read: Can Ozempic-Like GLP-1 Drugs Slow Aging, Boost Longevity?

Compared with a control group, mice treated with the drug showed improved muscle and cognitive function. Gene expression analysis also showed that several hallmarks of natural aging, including increased inflammation and reduced regenerative capacity, were reduced in the treated animals.

Animals treated with the GLP-1 drug semaglutide, had a median lifespan of 834 days — 12% longer than mice in the control group, which lived for a median of 742 days.

Semaglutide Vs Calorie Restriction

Another group of mice was treated with semaglutide until the end of life and were compared with calorie restriction to determine whether the drug’s benefits were simply due to reduced food intake or involved other effects.

Over five months, scientists administered semaglutide to one group of 20-month-old female mice, while another group received a 24% calorie-restricted diet that matched the treated animals’ feeding pattern.

The researchers found that semaglutide-treated mice showed improvements in activity, spatial memory and blood-sugar control.

The groups also differed in metabolic rate. It was reduced in the calorie-restricted animals but remained largely unchanged in the semaglutide-treated mice.

“These differences point to the possibility that GLP-1 drugs tap into a biological pathway independent of calorie restriction. Uncovering this potential route and the benefits that may specifically stem from it is an important direction for future research into the development of longevity-enhancing interventions,” said Chen, corresponding author of the study and professor of metabolic biology and nutrition at UC Berkeley.

Read More: GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro Tied To Over 60 Reported Deaths In Australia

What Does This Mean For Humans?

While these findings may guide future research, they do not mean that similar results can immediately be expected in humans.

Additional clinical studies will be needed to determine whether GLP-1 drugs can improve longevity in human patients.

Future clinical investigations may also explore potential benefits in healthy older adults, Chen explained, which could broaden the application of GLP-1 drugs.

The NHS is seeing a significant rise in emergency department visits among children aged 6-9 for mental health issues in England, according to an alarming new report.

According to an analysis by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), the rise has been fastest among the youngest children.

Attendances among 6–9-year-olds increased by 62% between 2019 and 2025, rising from 3,870 to 6,269. The report said this was the fastest rate of increase among all age groups.

“This is [a] faster rate of increase than any other age group. This finding is particularly worrying given the vulnerable nature of young children’s neurodevelopment and the potential of suffering for those children longer term without early intervention,” the report stated.

NHS England data also shows a 36% rise in mental health-related emergency attendances since 2019.

Children Reaching A&E In Mental Health Crisis

Children and young people are turning up at emergency departments in significant distress, including cases involving self-harm, eating disorders and emotional crises.

The figures, obtained by the RCPCH through a Freedom of Information request submitted to NHS England in April 2026, show that 75,491 children and young people aged 6–17 attended emergency departments with a recorded mental health concern in 2025.

This represents a 36% increase from 2019, when there were 55,525 such attendances.

Children Waiting Hours In Emergency Departments

The data also shows a growing number of children becoming, in effect, stuck in emergency departments while waiting for appropriate mental health support and a safe place to be discharged to.

The number of children and young people staying more than 12 hours in A&E rose by 217%, from 1,964 in 2019 to 6,235 in 2025.

Within this group, the number staying for more than 72 hours rose by 514%, from 55 in 2019 to 338 in 2025.

Experts Calls For Urgent Action

Dr Ronny Cheung, RCPCH Officer for Health Services, said the figures should serve as a wake-up call for the government.

“This must be a wake-up call for government. The growing number of children reaching crisis point with their mental health is deeply alarming, particularly among younger children. Without urgent action to provide support earlier, we risk storing up serious problems for the future, including more young people falling out of education, employment and training, where poor mental health is already a major driver.”

Government Plans New Mental Health Strategy

The government said it was looking to improve services and would be setting out plans soon. It is planning to publish a new mental health strategy later in the summer.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said improvements were already being made, including investment in mental health teams for schools and more than 150 new mental health hubs in community locations such as banks and libraries.

“No child should have to reach crisis point before getting the support they need,” he said, according to the BBC.

Over 1 Million Children Referred For Mental Health Support

More than one million children in England had active referrals to mental health services in 2025, with anxiety remaining the leading reason for seeking support, according to a report published in June.

The annual report by Children’s Commissioner Rachel de Souza warned that England is facing a growing children’s mental health crisis.

New data for 2024–25 shows that 1,048,965 children had an active referral to Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) — nearly double the number recorded in 2018–19 and almost 10% higher than the previous year.

Ischemic strokes are usually treated by removing the blood clot. But it may not be enough. New research has emerged, claiming that the brain’s own response to the stroke may keep causing damage even after the original blockage has been cleared.

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences have found a process in which the body’s defence mechanism can backfire, producing tiny blood clots that damage brain tissue.

The findings may explain why two people with seemingly similar strokes can have completely different recoveries.

What Happens When One Has An Ischemic Stroke?

An ischemic stroke happens when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel supplying the brain. The severed oxygen supply can rapidly injure brain cells.

Doctors can restore the cerebral blood flow by using medicines to bust the blood clot or, in more severe cases, surgically removing the clot through a procedure called thrombectomy. But restoring blood flow does not necessarily mean the damage immediately stops.

The new research suggests that the immune system, which normally helps the body respond to injury, can become part of the problem.

Also read: Sweetener In Sugar-Free Gum Linked To 57% Higher Heart Attack And Stroke Risk: What Is Xylitol?

How Can Tiny Clots Cause More Brain Damage?

When a stroke occurs, the body's defence system springs into action to prevent the injury and begin the repair process as soon as possible. But, researchers found that this defensive response can also promote the formation of micro-clots.

Micro-clots are far smaller than the original clot that caused the stroke. Because of their size, they can obstruct tiny blood vessels that are even more difficult to detect or treat using conventional techniques to remove clots.

The result can be reduced blood flow and additional injury to brain tissue, even after the main artery has been reopened.

Also read: Vitamin D3 Outperforms D2 In Maintaining Muscle, Heart Function, Shows ICMR Study

Two Patients With Similar Strokes May Recover Differently

The research offers one possible explanation for the wide differences seen in stroke recovery. Removing the major clot may restore circulation through the main blood vessel, but if microscopic vessels remain blocked, some areas of the brain may continue receiving inadequate blood supply and thus get damaged further

That could contribute to ongoing tissue damage and poorer neurological recovery, researchers suggest.

It also highlights why simply measuring whether the original artery that has been reopened may not tell the whole story of what is happening inside the brain.

Effect On Stroke Treatment

The findings are still at the early research stage, so it does not mean that patients currently need a different treatment for stroke after thrombectomy.

But, understanding how these secondary micro-clots form could eventually open another avenue for treatment that could prevent further damage to the brain.

Instead of focusing only on removing the large clot that triggered the stroke, future treatment strategies could target the biological processes that cause these microscopic blockages to form.