A study has found that the obesity treatment drug Wegovy, which has dominated the market, can suppress 'hedonic eating,' the tendency to seek food even when full. The obesity treatment induces feelings of fullness, reduces appetite to facilitate weight loss, and can also address food addiction, which seeks pleasure from food regardless of hunger.
Scott Sternson, a professor at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and his research team noted on the 28th, 'Through animal experiments, we identified the neural response pathways for hedonic appetite and confirmed that semaglutide can regulate the activity of dopamine-releasing cells that induce hedonic eating.' The research findings were published that day in Science.
Semaglutide is an ingredient in Wegovy, an obesity treatment by the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, and it mimics glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1, which is secreted from the small intestine when food is consumed. Wegovy not only promotes insulin secretion but also slows digestion, helping individuals feel full longer with smaller meals. Thus, a weight loss effect is observed.
Human appetite is divided into 'physiological appetite' for alleviating hunger for survival and 'hedonic appetite' for pleasure, which can lead to eating even when full. Hedonic appetite can lead to fixation on specific foods and result in excessive consumption known as 'food addiction.' The UCSD research team has observed that semaglutide's appetite-regulating effects may also impact hedonic eating and confirmed this through animal experiments.
First, the researchers alternated giving mice tasty and bland food to observe changes in the amount consumed, time spent eating, and frequency of eating. The results showed that when given tasty food, the number of meals was similar, but the eating duration increased. This confirmed that the pleasure derived from eating tasty food extended meal times.
The research team examined what changes semaglutide brings to the brains of mice. As they gradually increased the dose of semaglutide while providing tasty food, it was found that meal volume, duration, and the activity of dopamine-releasing cells decreased compared to transfer periods. Dopamine-releasing cells are responsible for secreting dopamine when consuming tasty food, creating feelings of happiness. This result shows that semaglutide has an effect that reduces the pleasure derived from food.
However, when tasty food was repeatedly provided to the mice, the effect of semaglutide rapidly diminished. A resistance to the drug developed, leading to the resurgence of hedonic appetite. When the activity of dopamine-releasing cells was suppressed by another method, hedonic appetite decreased again.
Choi Hyung-jin, a professor at Seoul National University, said, 'Research on appetite is largely divided into hunger and pleasure,' adding, 'Recently, studies on the pleasure-regulating abilities of obesity treatments have been underway.' Earlier, Professor Choi revealed in Science last June that GLP-1 analogs enhance feelings of fullness through neuron cells located in the hypothalamus.
There are growing calls in the medical community to view food addiction as an addiction disorder. According to researchers at the University of Michigan, 14% of adults and 12% of adolescents worldwide suffer from food addiction. Food addiction can cause metabolic diseases such as obesity and gastrointestinal disorders, making it a recent social concern.
Dana Small, a professor at McGill University in Canada, commented in a co-published paper in Science, 'Hedonic eating is a major cause of obesity through overeating,' adding, 'This study is expected to help develop adjunct therapies for obesity treatment using semaglutide.'
However, it is unlikely that semaglutide will be used as a treatment for food addiction in the immediate future, as the process of developing food addiction is complex and varies significantly among individuals. Professor Choi Hyung-jin explained, 'If the pleasure derived from eating decreases, some people may reduce their food intake, while others may eat more to achieve that pleasure; it depends on how each person reacts.'
References
Science (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adt0773