Rutgers University researchers say the use of GLP-1 drugs, commonly prescribed for weight loss and diabetes management, may have effects beyond metabolic health, including behaviors associated with violence.
Their research is criminologyinvestigated whether the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, influences violent criminal behavior in adults by attenuating the effects of impulsivity and alcohol consumption.
Researchers analyzed data from a 2025 survey of 7,521 U.S. adults and focused their primary analysis on 821 people who had used GLP-1 drugs. This study compared current and former GLP-1 users to examine whether drug use modifies the relationship between violent behavior, impulsivity, and alcohol use. Violent behavior was measured using a validated self-report crime scale that assesses acts such as fighting, assault, and robbery.
“The strongest finding of this study was that the established association between impulsivity and violent behavior was significantly weaker in current GLP-1 users compared to former users,” said Daniel Semenza, lead author of the study, research director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers School of Public Health, and associate professor at Rutgers School of Public Health. “As GLP-1 drugs become increasingly popular, it is important to understand all of their potential behavioral effects, including those related to public safety,” Semenza said.
The researchers found that higher impulsivity and alcohol use were strongly associated with violent behavior overall, but that those relationships were significantly weaker among current GLP-1 users. The association between impulsivity and violent behavior was approximately 62% weaker among current users compared to former users. The association between alcohol use and violent behavior was approximately 52% weaker among current users, but these results were less consistent across sensitivity analyses.
Our findings are consistent with these medications acting like cognitive behavioral therapy, weakening the pathway from impulse to behavior rather than eliminating impulsivity itself. ”
Christopher Thomas, assistant professor at Rutgers University-Camden and co-author of the research paper
The researchers said the study was observational and cross-sectional, and no conclusions of causation could be drawn. They emphasized the need for future long-term, experimental studies to determine whether GLP-1 drugs reduce violence risk and to better understand the mechanisms involved.
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Reference magazines:
Semenza DC, Thomas C. (2026). Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist use and violent crime among US adults. criminology. DOI: 10.1111/1745-9125.70058. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1745-9125.70058
