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Ozempic cuts risk of dementia, study suggests

Ozempic cuts risk of dementia, study suggests

Telegraph07-04-2025
Weight-loss jabs can cut the risk of dementia, a study suggests.
Scientists at the University of Florida said that semaglutide in particular, whose brand names include Wegovy and Ozempic, showed promise in cutting the risk of conditions that impair memory and thought processes.
Experts said the study was encouraging and called for further research to shed light on how these drugs affect the brain.
A study by the University of Oxford in 2024 suggested that Ozempic could cut the risk of dementia by half.
Academics in the US analysed data from type 2 diabetes patients who were taking either GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), which work by reducing food cravings, or sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) which reduce the amount of glucose the kidneys re-absorb, allowing it to pass out of the body in urine.
GLP-1RAs is a class of medication that includes semaglutide as well as the brand Rybelus, which is taken as a tablet.
Wegovy was approved to tackle weight loss on the NHS in 2023, while Ozempic and Rybelus are available as treatments for type 2 diabetes.
The study included the health records of 396,963 people over 50 from January 2014 to June 2023.
Statistically significant results
All had type 2 diabetes but no diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).
Researchers compared those on GLP-1RAs, SGLT-2i and other, second-line glucose-lowering drugs.
The analysis found that 'both GLP-1RAs and SGLT2is were statistically significantly associated with decreased risk of ADRD compared with other GLDs, and no difference was observed between both drugs'.
Meanwhile, it was found that among the GLP-1RAs, 'semaglutide seems to be promising in reducing the risk of ADRD'.
'This finding is particularly intriguing given the existing research on semaglutide's neuroprotective properties,' researchers added.
Dr Leah Mursaleen, head of clinical research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: 'We don't know yet why these medicines may be offering a protective effect and will need more research to understand how they are affecting the brain.'
She added that while the findings were 'interesting', it was important to consider if other factors might be influencing results such as overall health, income or education.
Researchers in Ireland have suggested GLP-1RAs are 'associated with a statistically significant reduction in dementia '.
Their study analysed 26 clinical trials involving almost 165,000 patients to determine if drugs such as SGLT2is and GLP-1RAs, as well as diabetes medications metformin and pioglitazone, led to a reduction in risk of dementia or cognitive impairment.
It found most drugs 'were not associated with an overall reduction in all-cause dementia' although GLP-1RAs were associated with a 'statistically significant reduction'.
Both studies have been published in the journal Jama Neurology.
Track people for longer
Dr Richard Oakley, director of research and innovation at Alzheimer's Society, said: 'Whilst both of these studies found a link between GLP-1RAs and reduced dementia risk, only one found SGLT2is, another class of diabetes drug, were also associated with a reduced risk.
'More research is needed by tracking people for longer, especially as they get older.'
Prof Tara Spires-Jones, director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, said the data was 'encouraging'.
'But even within these two strong studies, there are slightly conflicting results over SGLT2is, highlighting the need for further research,' she said.
'It is important to note that these drugs do have side effects and they are not guaranteed to prevent dementia.
'The studies had important limitations including a relatively short follow-up time.'
Masud Husain, a professor of neurology and cognitive neuroscience at the University of Oxford, said: 'These analyses suggest that GLP-1 receptor agonists, particularly semaglutide, might reduce the risk of developing dementia in people with type 2 diabetes.
'The wider question of whether such drugs might also be protective against dementia in people who don't have diabetes is a really intriguing one, and the focus of several ongoing clinical trials,' she added.
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Fewer resident doctors thought to have gone on strike than in last year's stoppage
Fewer resident doctors thought to have gone on strike than in last year's stoppage

The Guardian

time14 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Fewer resident doctors thought to have gone on strike than in last year's stoppage

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What happens to the body when it's dying of starvation amid Gaza hunger crisis
What happens to the body when it's dying of starvation amid Gaza hunger crisis

Metro

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  • Metro

What happens to the body when it's dying of starvation amid Gaza hunger crisis

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More pressure on Wes Streeting as nurses and ambulance workers reject pay deal amid militant doctors' strikes
More pressure on Wes Streeting as nurses and ambulance workers reject pay deal amid militant doctors' strikes

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

More pressure on Wes Streeting as nurses and ambulance workers reject pay deal amid militant doctors' strikes

Nurses and ambulance staff have ramped up the pressure on Health Secretary Wes Streeting by rejecting his offer of a 3.6 per cent pay rise. Members of the GMB union voted by a majority of more than two thirds (67 per cent) to go back to the negotiating table. The union has now written to the Secretary of State demanding an 'urgent meeting' to discuss pay and 'other issues of significant importance' to its NHS members. GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison said: 'We await his reply with interest.' AGMB spokesman said the chances of more strike action were 'very limited' because 'the appetite isn't there', but added: 'Workers are unhappy, which is why they have rejected this offer.' The GMB represents around 50,000 ambulance workers and 30,000 nurses, midwives and other NHS staff. It comes as 50,000 resident doctors - formerly known as junior doctors - started a five-day walkout over pay. One defied militant union bosses by crossing the picket line and reporting for duty, warning strikes may destroy vital public trust in the NHS. Dr Adam Boggon broke ranks with striking colleagues and claimed the BMA was 'not necessarily in the same place as much of the profession'. The psychiatrist at Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, East London, said he was 'alarmed' that the BMA was willing to lose public support in pursuit of an inflation-busting 29 per cent pay rise. 'I am not willing to pay that price,' he told Times Radio. 'The relationship between the doctor and the patient is based on trust and confidence. If we do damage to that basic relationship, that's bad for everyone.' He added: 'My education was funded by the taxpayer. Negotiation isn't about making unilateral demands and then walking away, or badmouthing a whole profession either. 'I think that both of these protagonists - the union and Mr Streeting - can do a lot better than they are at the moment.' The BMA revealed it had told three members to skip the strike and return to work this weekend for patient safety - a trainee paediatrician on the neonatal intensive care unit at Nottingham City Hospital and two anaesthetists at University Hospital Lewisham in south London. Dr Melissa Ryan, who is leading the BMA strike alongside Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, joined a picket line outside St Thomas' Hospital in Westminster, London. She told members: 'We have a government that wants to divide us, but we are stronger than that. 'I encourage you to hold the line, strike hard, and wait for the government to come back and make the next move with a credible offer.' Striking doctors waved banners including 'Do no harm - except to our bank balances!' and 'Why is my assistant paid more than me?' Dr Emre Karaduman, 27, who works at Ealing Hospital, west London, said: 'Our pay has been degraded since 2008. I know there was a financial crisis, but doctors shouldn't have to pay the price for that. 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Mr Streeting condemned the strike as 'reckless, unnecessary and unreasonable', as resident doctors have already received inflation-busting pay rises totalling 28.9 per cent over three years. 'A 28.9 per cent pay rise and a government that was willing to work with them are not grounds for strike action,' he said. 'This government will not allow the BMA to hold the country to ransom. 'We are doing everything we can to minimise the risk to patients, but I want to be honest with people - what we can't do is eliminate disruption or risk. 'However much the BMA try and sugar-coat it, what they are fundamentally doing today is forgetting the three words that should be at the forefront of every doctor's mind every day: Do No Harm.' He added an 'amazing mobilisation' by other NHS staff, including senior doctors cancelling annual leave, had helped 'keep the show on the road'. 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They have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years of working and gaining experience to become a GP. On Friday, NHS chief executive Jim Mackey said he hoped the BMA would come back to the negotiating table. 'I would hope that after this, we will be able to get people in a room and resolve the issue,' he said. 'We could be doing this once a month for the next six months, so we've got to organise ourselves accordingly.'

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