Mounjaro Jab May Curb Food Cravings by Altering Brain Signals, Study Finds

According to a first-of-its-kind study published on 2025-11-18T06:46:42+00:00, the weight-loss drug Mounjaro may help slash food cravings by suppressing brain signals linked to eating control. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania placed electrodes in the brains of 3 severely obese patients to study the drug's impact on the brain's reward system.

The study found that episodes of intense food preoccupation and cravings were associated with low-frequency brain signals, known as delta-theta activity, in the nucleus accumbens. In 2 patients, electrical stimulation to this brain region reduced these signals. The third patient, who was taking Mounjaro for diabetes after weight-loss surgery, also experienced a decline in delta-theta activity and food cravings.

However, the brain signals and food cravings returned a few months later in the Mounjaro patient. The findings suggest the drug may tackle food cravings by affecting the brain signal biomarkers associated with eating control. Experts caution that the study looked at a specific condition linked to obesity, and the results may not apply to the general population.