The Fat Jab: What Happens When the Pleasure Goes Out of Drinking?
(5 min read)
Last year, I sat down with Hamish Renton, CEO of food & beverage consultancy HRA Global, for a chat on the Low No Drinker Podcast. It was one of those conversations where I was just there to learn and absorb as much as I could because, truth be told, when we started talking, I had less than no clue as to what the heck a GLP‑1 agonist was and how it could possibly impact brands and consumers investigating low, no and light alcohol experiences.
Just over a year on, and Hamish's predictions for the growth of this compound and its increasing connection to drinking less have proved correct, so what exactly did he have to say about them?
Prefer to listen? You can catch our full conversation on
ep#13, Fat Jabs & their Impact on Drinking Low/No
Listen on Apple | Listen on Spotify | Listen on Overcast
(The 4th most downloaded episode of all time)
What are GLP‑1 agonists, really?
Hamish simplified it brilliantly: these drugs were initially developed and trialled as "an add-on to a conventional diabetes therapy [...] they found that the cohort given the drug not only had better blood sugar but they actually lost weight and this got some interest going and that's effectively what's called an off-target effect."
How do they work?
That off-target side effect suppresses appetite, slows digestion, and blunts that rush of pleasure we get from eating or drinking. As Hamish put it, "There are two ways that it makes you feel full for longer. One, it slows down gastric emptying, so food takes longer to go through the normal process of digestion. It adds 20-25% to that. If you normally get peckish again, say two hours after you've had a meal, on semaglutide, you'll get peckish three hours after.
"And two, it reduces the pleasure that you get from anything you eat and drink. So you might pick up your favourite Krispy Kreme, for instance, and you just don't fancy it because your brain's saying 'I'm just not going to get the pleasure from that'."
And what about booze?
"And that goes for alcohol as well, because it's not like it changes the impact of alcohol. Alcohol still goes through all the normal pathways, the chemical cascades, the effects are the same, but the pleasure derived from the journey, if you like, as alcohol goes through the system, is really squashed. So that's led to these compounds being deployed for alcohol use disorder and programs, principally in the states, whereby they take cohorts, they give some of them a placebo, some of them these compounds, and they compare the effects. The effects are startling, absolutely startling."
The data
Since our chat, a flurry of studies has confirmed the link between GLP‑1 drugs and reduced alcohol intake:
A nine‑week semaglutide trial (48 participants with alcohol use disorder) showed participants drank 30–40% less and reported fewer heavy drinking days, compared to a placebo group (jamanetwork.com).
Another large trial across 262 adults with a BMI >30 found that alcohol intake was reduced by up to 68%, making it more effective than nalmefene, a medication already approved for alcohol reduction (abcnews.go.com).
Observational studies show fewer alcohol‑related hospitalisations among users of semaglutide and tirzepatide over a year (truveta.com).
A major review in Endocrinology highlights that in consistent human and animal findings, GLP‑1s "decrease alcohol intake, reduce motivation to consume alcohol and prevent relapse drinking" (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).
(Note: this is not an endorsement or recommendation for you to start taking GLP1s. If you are considering doing so, please consult your doctor. I am not a doctor.)
A note of caution
GLP‑1 isn't magic. The weight lost includes muscle mass, and if users don't pair it with protein and resistance exercises, they could end up weaker. Hamish warns, "It's a tool in the toolbox, not a silver bullet."
How does this impact low, no and light brands?
If GLP‑1 use becomes widespread, which seems highly plausible, as ABC News reports 1 in 8 Americans now taking some form of GLP-1 and 4.9 million Brits (1 in 10), according to medrxiv.org, brands need to rethink everything from flavour to format:
Smaller servings: People feel full faster, so they'll sip less frequently and consume fewer drinks.
Stronger flavours: A mild lemon soda won't cut it. Drinks need to become "sensorially powerful".
Functional focus: Adaptogens, collagen, and nootropics will all play a more significant role in supporting mood, recovery, and establishing new lifestyle habits.
Where does this leave drinkers?
If your pleasure response is dulled, what's left of the drinking experience? What keeps you coming back to the ritual of opening a bottle, pouring into a nice glass, the social cue of holding something in your hand both on and off the GLP-1 cycle?
As Hamish suggested, it's about finding products that can serve you 'off-compound' as well as on: "They're either going to switch down from high alcohol to a mid-strength, or mid-strength to low, or they're going low to no. Wherever they find their home, whatever they want to do, they're going to need to find something they can live with off compound, and that's the point."
The drink itself becomes less about flavour and more about how it fits into your day, your social calendar, and your self-image. If the buzz is gone, what do you want the beverage to do for you?
This could open space for:
Drinks that support emotional regulation.
Drinks that tie into new routines (post-gym, after-work wind-downs).
Drinks that feel indulgent even when the dopamine's a bit subdued.
It's no longer enough to stand in the stead of alcohol. These drinks will need to justify themselves in their own right, with benefits, flavour complexity, and, importantly, a decent sense of occasion.
More pressure on small brands
The vast majority of the LNL category is still made up of small independent brands. As an industry advocate, I worry about these brands' ability to keep up with the demand for yet another new thing.
Brands like Nestle are already investing many thousands of pounds into researching this new consumer demographic, but it's unlikely much will be shared with your kitchen table producer.
Adapting to this shift takes R&D, marketing, and speed—all things the big players can execute more easily. Portion size, stronger flavours, and adaptogens all come with production and formulation challenges. Not every brand is going to manage it. But some will, and they'll be the ones leading this new sub-category.
If you're a drinker, you'll have more choice. But if you're a producer? The race is already on.
Thanks for another great article!
“If the buzz is gone, what do you want the beverage to do for you?” — I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. For a while, I couldn’t quite figure out what it was about drinking that kept me coming back, even if alcohol was removed from the equation. It wasn’t just the habit or the ritual—though those play a role—it was something else.
When you mentioned wanting what’s in your glass to feel indulgent, that clicked for me. Yes! That’s exactly it. I don’t want just water—I want something that still feels pleasurable, elevated, and a little luxurious (I was definitely a wine-and-cocktail girl before). That’s why I still want something wine-like in my glass, just without a ton, or any, alcohol.
Lately I’ve been experimenting with mixing my own low-strength wine. Here in the US, it doesn’t seem like there are options for really low-ABV wines (or at least I haven’t found any). I’ve found a few decent mid-strength ones around 8%, but I like it even lower. So I’ve been blending dealcoholized wine with just a splash of something mid-strength—nothing fancy, just white with white. It’s working really well! I’m not sure what the final ABV is, but the end result gives me that same sense of indulgence—just without a huge buzz.