- There are several risk factors for dementia, including type 2 diabetes.
- A new study reports that semaglutide — the active ingredient in type 2 diabetes and weight loss GLP-1 medications Ozempic and Wegovy — may help lower dementia risk in people with type 2 diabetes.
- Researchers say semaglutide targets several dementia risk factors, in addition to being anti-inflammatory, which could explain this benefit.
According to Alzheimer’s Disease International, as of 2020, there were over 55 million people living with dementia, with that number expected to rise to 78 million by 2030.
There is currently no cure for dementia, which is an umbrella term for a group of brain disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, and vascular dementia.
Experts have identified several
Following a healthy diet like the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet, becoming more physically active, staying socially engaged, and lowering your type 2 diabetes risk could all help prevent dementia.
“Currently, there is no cure for dementia,” Rong Xu, PhD, professor of biomedical informatics and director of the Center for AI in Drug Discovery at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, told Medical News Today.
“On the other hand, about 50% of dementia cases are preventable by targeting its 14 known modifiable risk factors. However, each risk factor contributes 1%-7% to the overall dementia risk. Therefore, we need prevention strategies that can simultaneously target multiple dementia risk factors,” Xu explained.
Xu is the lead author of a new study which found that
The findings were published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
For this study, researchers analyzed electronic health record data from more than 1.7 million adults in the United States with type 2 diabetes.
Study participants were followed for three years to see if they developed any
In addition to semaglutide, scientists also looked at other type 2 diabetes medications, including insulin, metformin, and older generation GLP-1s.
“Semaglutide is highly effective in simultaneously targeting several dementia risk factors, including obesity, diabetes, and
“In addition, semaglutide has anti-inflammatory effects, and inflammation plays a significant role in the development and progression of all-cause dementias,” she continued. “These suggest that semaglutide could be an effective pharmacological prevention strategy for dementia in high-risk populations such as patients with type 2 diabetes.”
At the study’s conclusion, researchers found that participants taking semaglutide had a significantly lower risk of developing vascular dementia than those taking any other type 2 diabetes medication, including other GLP-1s.
“Our findings show evidence that semaglutide treatment in patients with diabetes appears to protect from vascular dementia and other dementia, but not frontotemporal or Lewy body dementia,” Xu explained. “In addition, this is an associational study and no causation can be drawn.”
“For people concerned about dementia, this information can guide informed decisions on choosing anti-diabetic medications for diabetes management while mitigating dementia development,” she added.
For the next steps in this research, Xu said the team plans to examine if
“Preclinical and clinical studies are necessary to understand the mechanisms and establish causal effects through randomized trials,” she continued.
“Economic and policy analyses are needed to examine the cost-effectiveness of integrating semaglutide and other pharmacotherapy-based prevention strategies with existing behavior-based approaches, such as exercise and diet in achieving substantial benefits for preserving cognitive function and preventing dementia,” Xu noted.
MNT spoke with Mir Ali, MD, a board-certified general surgeon, bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, to find out more about how semaglutide might be able to help lower a person’s dementia risk.
“This class of medications are in widespread use and currently the most effective weight loss medications available,” Ali, who was not involved in the current study, explained. “Finding all the effects of these medications may expand possible indications for these drugs and possibly increase insurance coverage.”
Hypothesizing on potential mechanisms of prevention, Ali told us:
“To my knowledge the exact cause of Alzheimer’s dementia is unknown; obesity in general causes a chronic inflammatory process through the body and this can contribute to many medical issues. Perhaps the decrease in chronic inflammation may lead to reduction in dementia risk.”
MNT also spoke to Manisha Parulekar, MD, FACP, AGSF, CMD, director of the Division of Geriatrics at Hackensack University Medical Center, and co-director of the Center for Memory Loss and Brain Health at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, about the current research.
Parulekar, who was similarly not involved in this study, commented that people with 2 diabetes have a significantly increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, and this research suggests a shared underlying mechanism or pathway.
“Additionally, GLP-1 receptor agonists (like semaglutide) have shown neuroprotective effects,” Parulekar continued. “Preclinical studies (in animals) have demonstrated that GLP-1 receptor agonists can protect neurons, reduce inflammation in the brain, and improve cognitive function.”
“Semaglutide also improves insulin sensitivity and glucose control, and also promotes weight loss. These improvements in metabolic health could indirectly reduce the risk of dementia. For example, better glucose control can reduce vascular damage, which is a contributing factor to vascular dementia. Weight loss can also improve cardiovascular health, which is linked to brain health.”
— Manisha Parulekar, MD, FACP, AGSF, CMD
“Lastly, other diabetes medications have shown potential cognitive benefits,” she added. “Some studies have suggested that other diabetes medications, such as metformin, may also have some protective effects against
