Weight loss drugs like Ozempic may prevent dementia: study
A new study from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine suggests that GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy could lower your risk of developing dementia.
That's a potential game changer for the more than 6 million Americans diagnosed each year and the 100,000 who die from the memory-robbing disease annually.
The risk of developing dementia increases with age.
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The research team analyzed three years of health records from 1.7 million Americans with type 2 diabetes across the US.
The findings were striking: patients taking semaglutide — the key ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — had a significantly lower risk of Alzheimer's-related dementia than those on other diabetes medications.
The benefit was especially strong among women and older adults.
'There is no cure or effective treatment for dementia, so this new study provides real-world evidence for its potential impact on preventing or slowing dementia development among at-high risk populations,' said Dr. Rong Xu, lead author and professor of biomedical informatics.
Researchers haven't nailed down exactly what causes dementia — but they do know what raises your risk.
A 2024 Lancet Commission report found that up to 45% of dementia cases could be prevented by tackling key lifestyle factors like obesity, physical inactivity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, alcohol use and even hearing loss.
Semaglutide may help protect against dementia by reducing inflammation in the brain.
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Semaglutide may hit several of those targets at once.
The drug not only helps with weight loss, but also improves insulin sensitivity, lowers blood sugar, protects blood vessels and reduces inflammation in the brain — all key players in dementia risk.
Next up, scientists want to see if newer GLP-1 drugs like tirzepatide — the active ingredient in Zepbound and Mounjaro — can also have a protective effect against dementia. They also plan to track potential long-term side effects.
'Our results indicate that research into semaglutide's use for dementia prevention will need to be further investigated through randomized clinical trials,' Xu said.
While scientists hunt for a cure, there are still ways to get ahead of dementia.
The CDC recommends staying active, keeping your blood pressure in check, treating hearing loss, and cutting back on alcohol and cigarettes to help keep your brain sharp.
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