Scientists Just Uncovered A Major Alzheimer's Finding—And It Involves Ozempic
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It's hard to keep up with all of the potential perks of going on a GLP-1 receptor agonist medication like Ozempic. So far, researchers have found that these meds may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer, tamp down on symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and even treat addiction. Of course, that's on top of what they're designed to do—help with blood sugar control and weight loss.
Now, a growing body of research suggests GLP-1s may also help lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, too. And there's one more study to add to the mix.
New research published in JAMA Neurology found a link between people who took GLP-1 receptor agonists and a lowered risk of Alzheimer's disease, which makes even more of a case for going on one of these medications.
Here's what experts think of the new study and how it might apply to you.
Meet the experts: Mir Ali, MD, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA; Verna Porter, MD, neurologist and director of the Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease and Neurocognitive Disorders at Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA
For the study, researchers analyzed health records of 396,963 people in Florida between January 2014 to June 2023. All of the participants were at least 50 years old and had type 2 diabetes. None had been diagnosed with Alzheimer disease and related dementias at the start of the study.
The researchers discovered that people who took GLP-1 receptor agonists (like Ozempic) or a type of medicine known as SGLT2 inhibitors (which are also used to lower blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes) had a statistically significant lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and related dementias compared to people who were on other medications to lower blood sugar.
People with type 2 diabetes are at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. (Research suggests that people with type 2 diabetes have a 50 percent higher risk of developing dementia.)
The reason for that could be tied to things like insulin resistance, inflammation, and a higher risk of vascular damage, which are risk factors for Alzheimer's disease—and GLP-1 receptor agonists can lower the risks of those complications, explains Verna Porter, MD, neurologist and director of the Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease and Neurocognitive Disorders at Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA.
But these medications can also help people lose weight, feel better, and be able to lead a healthier lifestyle, points out Mir Ali, MD, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. 'When patients lose weight, risk factors [for Alzheimer's disease] like heart disease and diabetes improve, too,' he says.
Dr. Porter says she has 'cautious optimism' about the latest study results, noting that she treats many patients who have both type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.
GLP-1 receptor agonists work in the body in a few different ways. But these medications specifically signal to your brain to feel less hungry, making it less likely that you'll overeat, Dr. Ali explains.
As a result, many people lose weight on these drugs. But the exact mechanisms of how the drug works in the brain in doing things like tamping down food noise, addiction, and now, decreasing Alzheimer's risk, is still under investigation.
This isn't the first study to find a link between GLP-1 receptor agonists and a lowered risk of Alzheimer's disease in people with type 2 diabetes. A study published in October in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia found that people who took semaglutide (a GLP-1 receptor agonist medication) had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to people who took other medications to treat type 2 diabetes.
Another study published in Nature Medicine in January found that people who took GLP-1 receptor agonist medications had a lowered risk of developing a slew of health conditions, including dementia.
It's important to point out that a lot of these studies look at the impact of GLP-1 receptor agonists on people with type 2 diabetes. Meaning, it's not clear if taking these medications without having type 2 diabetes will have an impact on your Alzheimer's risk.
But this growing body of research is definitely raising a lot of questions—and possibilities for treatment—as it unfolds.
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