Mounjaro may suppress brain signals linked to food cravings, new study shows
Peter Paumgardhen | Last update: 21st November 2025
A ground-breaking new study has shown that Mounjaro may do more than reduce appetite – it appears to suppress brain signals linked to binge eating and obsessive food thoughts.
What’s going on?
A study published in Nature Medicine has shown that Mounjaro (tirzepatide) appears to reduce activity in a brain area linked to food reward and binge eating.
Researchers implanted electrodes deep into the nucleus accumbens, the brain’s craving centre, in a 60-year-old woman taking Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Over several months, they tracked a brainwave pattern called delta-theta activity. They found:
- During the first few months of treatment, when the patient’s weight dropped and food preoccupation vanished, brain activity stayed low
- But when cravings returned, the delta–theta brain signal reappeared,
- This suggests a direct link between Mounjaro’s effect and brain reward signals
Read the full Nature Medicine study
Why this matters
This is the clearest evidence yet that Mounjaro may change how the brain responds to food. Eli Lilly says this supports claims that Mounjaro helps reduce food noise and binge urges. Previous claims of how the drug works focussed on how we feel.
SlimrChat’s view
This adds to growing evidence that GLP-1 weight loss drugs help retrain eating behaviour, not just shrink appetite.
It’s a small study but it explains what many users already feel: that Mounjaro doesn’t just stop hunger, it calms cravings.
That said, the effects may wear off over time, and building healthy habits still matters.
>For more info read our article on how weight loss drugs work: How weight loss drugs work — and why mindset matters