Weight loss jab Mounjaro linked to lower dementia risk
People with type 2 diabetes and obesity who are taking the drugs are also less likely to die prematurely, researchers found.
The study saw experts from Taiwan examine date on 60,000 people from around the world, with an average age of 58, who had type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Key differences between three weight-loss injections: Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic. https://t.co/WhHodrztS1 pic.twitter.com/Rll5Eg3ycU — Paul Wischmeyer MD (@Paul_Wischmeyer) July 4, 2025
Around half were given GLP agonist drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide – which are sold under the brand names Wegovy and Mounjaro. Semaglutide is also the main ingredient for the type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic.
GLP agonists can reduce a person's appetite; slow down their digestion; reduce the amount of sugar the liver makes and they help the body to make more insulin when needed.
The other half used other anti-diabetic medication.
📢Important update
Eligible people in #Dorset will be able to access Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) weight management medication from autumn 2025.
✅Around 1,000 people in Dorset will qualify under strict national criteria
✅No need to contact your doctor
More: https://t.co/ml4QJgZ224 pic.twitter.com/uURpuIuYzx — NHS Dorset (@NHSDorset) June 23, 2025
During a seven-year follow-up period, researchers found that people given the GLP agonist drugs appeared to have a 37% lower risk of dementia and a 19% reduced risk of stroke.
They were also 30% less likely to die during the follow-up period.
And when researchers looked at the data further they found even greater benefits in people aged 60 or older, women, and those with a body mass index score of 30 to 40.
They found no differences in Parkinson's disease or brain bleeds.
The academics said their findings suggest 'potential neuroprotective and cerebrovascular benefits' of the drugs but they called for more studies to confirm the findings.
Recommended reading:
'These findings suggest that semaglutide and tirzepatide may offer neuroprotective and cerebrovascular benefits beyond glycemic control, potentially improving long-term cognitive and survival outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity,' they wrote in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Commenting on the study, Professor Tara Spires-Jones, director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh and group leader in the UK Dementia Research Institute, said: 'This is a very interesting study adding to evidence that GLP1 receptor agonists are associated with a lower risk of dementia in people with type 2 diabetes and obesity.
'This type of study cannot determine whether the drugs reduced disease risk by directly protecting the brain.
'It is highly likely that effectively treating type 2 diabetes and obesity would reduce dementia and stroke risk as they are known risk factors for these conditions.
'Further work is needed including randomised clinical trials to confirm these drugs are protective in people with diabetes and obesity and other trials are needed to determine whether these drugs will be protective in people who do not have type 2 diabetes and obesity.'
Recommended reading:
Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at Alzheimer's Society, said: 'It is well established that diabetes and obesity can increase your risk of developing dementia.
'This study supports existing evidence that shows these drugs may reduce dementia risk, particularly for people aged 60 and over who are living with type 2 diabetes and obesity.
'Although interesting, we can't draw conclusions from this study alone as it is an observational study, only a small number of people who took part went on to develop dementia and as the impact of these drugs on different types of dementia is not clear.
'There are clinical trials currently looking at whether drugs like these can be used to treat early-stage Alzheimer's disease, so this is a really exciting area being explored in the research fight against dementia.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Warning to fat jabs users as patients start pilling on pounds after treatment stops, research shows
The hunger signals fat jabs block can start up again once the treatment ends FAT IS BACK Warning to fat jabs users as patients start pilling on pounds after treatment stops, research shows PEOPLE on weight-loss jabs start piling the flab back on just two months after they stop taking them, research shows. The drugs work well for those who have failed other methods or are very large. However, the hunger signals they block can start up again once the treatment ends. A review of 11 studies covering more than 2,000 slimmers found they kept the weight off for at least four weeks after stopping, but started putting it back on by the eight-week mark. And their weight gain tended to continue for five months before it stabilised. Patients who took popular fat jab Mounjaro regained almost half the weight they had lost while on the drug. Study author Dr Xiaoling Cai, from Peking University People's Hospital in China, said: 'Weight regain is common, so it is necessary to establish long-term anti-obesity treatment.' Katherine Jenner, director of Britain's Obesity Health Alliance, said: 'This underlines why we can't medicate ourselves out of the obesity crisis. "Without tackling the root causes, people are left swimming against the tide.' A separate study at Oxford University suggested many fat jab patients regain all the weight they lose within two years of stopping medication. NHS prescriptions for jabs like Wegovy and Mounjaro hit 2.7million in England last year — and more people are buying privately, potentially missing out on diet and lifestyle advice. I've lost nearly 6 stone in 9 months on fat jabs - trolls call me 'lazy' & say it's the 'easy way out' but I don't care
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Pharmacy worker who stole weight loss drug Ozempic and sold it on black market is spared jail
Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases. Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK. Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. Are there any risks? Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health. Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Pharmacy worker who stole weight loss drug Ozempic and sold it on black market is spared jail
A PHARMACY worker who stole weight loss drug Ozempic and sold it on the black market was spared jail yesterday. Akshay Sennik, 31, took two £75 pens of the jabs from a stock room and flogged them for £100. He was arrested after colleagues noticed 'shrinkage' in the drug's stockpile, JPs heard. Dispensing assistant Sennik, who had worked for nine years in healthcare, had no previous criminal record. He was sentenced to a two-year conditional discharge by Bromley magistrates after they heard his offending was motivated by alcoholism. Sennik, whose address was given as his parents' home in Chislehurst, South East London, pleaded guilty earlier. Everything you need to know about fat jabs Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases. Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK. Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. Are there any risks? Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health. Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines. 1
