November 6, 2024
Semaglutide, a diabetes and weight loss drug, may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in people with Type 2 diabetes, according to a new report. The study found that people with Type 2 diabetes who were taking the drug had a 40 percent to 70 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to patients who were taking other diabetes drugs.
The study showed only an association and cannot prove cause and effect, and more research is needed to confirm the findings. But the results add to growing evidence that some of the hugely popular new weight loss drugs may have benefits that go beyond just losing weight. The study was published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
Semaglutide belongs to a class of medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1s. The injectable drug decreases appetite and helps regulate blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. It has been used for more than 15 years to treat diabetes and is the active ingredient in the popular weight loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic. Other, newer GLP-1 drugs include Mounjaro and Zepbound.
For the study, researchers at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine looked at three years of electronic medical records for over a million Americans aged 60 and older with Type 2 diabetes. Their analysis found that semaglutide lowered the risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s by up to 70 percent compared to those with diabetes who were taking any of seven other diabetes drugs, including insulin, metformin and older GLP-1 drugs.
“This new study provides real-world evidence for its impact on Alzheimer’s disease,” said study author Rong Xu. “Further research into semaglutide’s use will need to be further investigated through randomized clinical trials so alternative drugs can be tested as potential treatment for this debilitating illness.”
Other research has suggested that semaglutide may have inflammation-fighting properties, including the ability to quell inflammation in the brain. Increasingly, researchers recognize that body-wide inflammation plays a role in Alzheimer’s and other diseases of aging. It is also possible that drugs like semaglutide can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and might aid in the clearance of beta-amyloid, the toxic protein that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
The findings also underscore the links between diabetes and brain health. People with diabetes are at increased risk of poor memory and cognitive decline, including an elevated risk of Alzheimer’s disease years down the road. The disease damages tiny blood vessels throughout the body, including in the brain. Diabetes is also marked by impairment in the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar (glucose), which in excessive amounts may damage brain cells. Obesity, a risk factor for diabetes, also increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
If you have diabetes, it is important to maintain tight control of blood sugar, using medications and regular medical check-ups. Other studies have shown that those with diabetes who were not taking medicines for their disease were more likely to progress to Alzheimer’s disease than those who were taking drugs for the condition. Further research will help determine whether semaglutide or similar diabetes and weight loss medications may play a role in helping to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
By ALZinfo.org, The Alzheimer’s Information Site. Reviewed by Eric Schmidt, PhD, of The Fisher Center lab at The Rockefeller University.
Source: William Wang, QuangQiu Wang, Xin Qi, et al: “Associations of semaglutide with first-time diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in patients with type 2 diabetes: Target trial emulation using nationwide real-world data in the US.” Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, October 24, 2024
