GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic And Wegovy, commonly used for type 2 diabetes and weight loss, can also provide significant protection against Alzheimer’s disease And dementiaAccording to new research.
Two major studies published Monday in Jama neurology have found that GLP-1 drugs are linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline in people with type 2 diabetes.
A study revealed that GLP-1 drugs have been associated with a 33% reduction in the risk of dementia, while another class of diabetes drugs, SGLT2 inhibitors have demonstrated an even greater advantage, reducing the risk of 43%.
“We consider this to be the initial point, and the results are very promising, but there are other work that must be done,” said Dr. Serena Guo, principal author of one of the studies and a pharmacoemologist at the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida.
“This is one of the first studies in the real world to carry out a complete evaluation of the two hypotenty drugs on their effect of the reduction in risk and the prevention of ADRD (Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia),” she told Global News.
SGLT2 inhibitors are a class of medication that helps lower blood sugar by preventing the kidneys from reabsorbing glucose, which allows it to be excreted in the urine. The common brand names include Farxiga, Jardiance and Invokana.
GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, are commonly used to manage type 2 diabetes by helping to control blood sugar. They work by increasing insulin, reducing sugar production in the liver and slowing digestion.
Recently, GLP-1 drugs have attracted a lot of attention not only for their power to combat diabetes, but also for their ability to Weight loss assistancemaking them popular even among those without diabetes.
Other studies have shown that GLP-1 drugs can also provide advantages cardiovascular healthhelp kidney diseaseAnd now potentially reduce the risk of dementia.
Meanwhile, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia rates are All over the worldincluding in Canada, With around 771,000 Canadians Currently living with dementia, a number should increase considerably in the coming decades.
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Dr. Sharon Cohen, a neurologist based in Toronto, said that the results of the study were “significant”, adding that there is already a convergent assembly of evidence supporting hypocric-basing drugs to use in Alzheimer’s disease.
“And therefore the study provides more support for the idea,” she said.
The Guo study examined the electronic health files of patients in Florida from January 2014 to June 2023 and focused on people aged 50 or more of type 2 diabetes and no prior dementia diagnosis.
The researchers examined the data of more than 90,000 people who were processed with GLP-1RA or SGLT2IS, comparing them to other hypochartic drugs.
The SGLT2IS were used dating from this period for diabetes, although the broad recognition and the use of GLP-1RA for weight loss or under more recognizable brand names are more recent.
The study revealed that GLP-1RA and SGLT2I were linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia compared to other treatments.
The results were promising: the two classes of drugs were linked to a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
More specifically, the study revealed that GLP-1-1 was associated with a risk of dementia at 33%of 33%, while SGLT2IS had an even higher effect, which reduces the risk by 43%. However, when the two drugs were compared directly, no major difference in their effectiveness was found.
“We are surprised (in the results). Compared to these other drugs, they have shown not only a lower risk, but a relatively large effect, around 30 to 40% have decreased the risk of ADRD,” said Guo.
The second study published in Jama neurology found similar results. A meta-analysis of 160,000 patients has examined whether certain drugs extracting glucose, known for their heart benefits, could also reduce the risk of dementia or cognitive decline.
GLP-1 drugs were associated with a statistically significant reduction in the risk of dementia. However, the study revealed that SGLT2I drugs did not show a significant association with a risk of reduced dementia. Neither SGLT2 nor GLP-1 drugs have shown a significant reduction in the risk of vascular dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
How these drugs could protect the brain
In Guo’s study, she said that the mechanisms behind how drugs like Ozempic can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer and other dementia is still not fully understood. She highlighted the need for more research to unravel these effects.
“There must be more pre-clinical mechanistic studies to demonstrate the mechanism connecting agonists of GLP-1 receptors and SGLT-2 inhibitors to ADRD results,” she said.
However, one of the possible reasons for this is that GLP-1 is good to reduce both glucose levels and body weight. Given that obesity and high blood sugar are risk factors known to dementia, this could be a way that these drugs help reduce this risk, she said.
Another idea is that GLP-1 drugs and SGLT2 inhibitors could protect the brain by reducing inflammation, improving insulin function and even helping new brain cells. In addition, they stimulate blood flow to the brain and reduce oxidative stress – anything that can play a role in cognitive decline.
“Since our study used data on Florida electronic health files, the next step would be to further confirm the finding of the study in other populations,” Guo said.
“We are very enthusiastic about the results, but more studies and additional research must be carried out, in particular for the agonists of the GLP-1 receivers, it has really become very popular in the past two years. We need more recent data to explore and understand the complete image of the advantageous profile and the security of this therapeutic class. ”
Cohen said that drugs like Ozempic have already turned out to be promising to help mental health problems, dependence and obsessive compulsive disorders. Now, their potential neuroprotective effects could also be beneficial for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, parkinson and other dementia.
“So, Wow, is the sky the limit with these drugs? Well, attentive tests are out, but we hope,” she said.