logo
Five surprising everyday medications that can help prevent dementia

Five surprising everyday medications that can help prevent dementia

Telegraph15-04-2025
At times, getting older can feel like a never-ending list of health check-ups. Vaccines you're now eligible for, screenings to arrange, and a firm suggestion from your GP to begin a new course of medication.
We're often warned about the long-term effects of certain drugs, but there are some midlife jabs or pills which appear to have hidden protective qualities, especially for the brain.
Take shingles vaccines for instance. A new study from Stanford University published in the renowned journal Nature, has discovered that being vaccinated in mid to later life against this painful viral rash prevents one in five new dementia cases over the next seven years, based on the examination of electronic health records.
The findings have caused such a stir that Dr Pascal Geldsetzer, the Stanford epidemiologist behind the study, told The Telegraph that he's now seeking to raise funds from private foundations and philanthropists to conclusively test whether shingles vaccination can prevent cognitive decline in a clinical trial. 'This is what we need to really convince the public health and medical community,' he says.
So why might a shingles jab be protecting the brain, and what are the other midlife immunisations and medications that seem to do the same?
1. Shingles vaccine
Dr Geldsetzer isn't the only person to have uncovered evidence that shingles jabs might help shield the brain from dementia. Last year, another study found that the Shingrix vaccine, which is currently available on the NHS for everyone over 65, leads to a 17 per cent reduced risk of dementia compared with older shingles vaccines.
You can also get the Shingrix vaccine sooner if you're willing to pay to receive it privately. It's currently licenced for all over-50s with a full two dose course costing £460 from Boots.
While the benefits appear to be very real, scientists are still attempting to figure out exactly what's going on. In recent years, suggestions of an infectious origin to Alzheimer's disease have been steadily gaining traction and Dr Geldsetzer says it's plausible that the varicella-zoster virus – the virus behind shingles which also causes chickenpox in children and subsequently lies dormant in your nervous system for decades – could be reactivating as our immune systems weaken with age, with damaging consequences for the brain.
'There is suggestive evidence for the role of this virus in both vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease,' he says.
Dr Geldsetzer's research has thrown up an additional finding – the protective effect of shingles vaccination seems to be much greater in women compared with men.
'This could be due to sex differences in the immune response, with women on average having higher antibody responses to vaccination,' Dr Geldsetzer suggests. 'But it could also be the way in which dementia develops. We know that both shingles and dementia are more common in women than men.'
2. Statins
Statins are not the most popular of drugs, with people often voicing concerns about developing muscle and joint pain, but a major new study from South Korea has indicated an additional motivation to take them.
Based on health data from more than 570,000 Koreans, it showed that the cholesterol-lowering drugs reduced dementia risk by 13 per cent, even in people with relatively low levels of LDL or 'bad' cholesterol.
According to Dr Francesco Tamagnini, a dementia expert at the University of Reading, this may point to an emerging theory which could be linked to many cases of Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia. Called 'the lipid invasion model' of Alzheimer's, the idea is that the blood-brain barrier, the layer of cells which separate the brain from the circulation, becomes more permeable with age. This may be a consequence of a lifetime's excessive drinking for example, or repeated head traumas incurred through sport or accidents.
This increased permeability allows LDL cholesterol molecules to pass over from the blood into the brain, instigating cell damage. 'The brain has zero tolerance for LDL,' says Dr Tamagnini. 'The brain contains a lot of cholesterol, but it's mainly the high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol particles which are smaller. But if the larger LDL particles get in, that disrupts neuronal function. So this is an idea for why drugs like statins, which reduce the amount of LDL in the blood, will lower risk.'
3. Viagra
If you're a regular Viagra user, it could be doing far more than just boosting your erections. Last summer, a new study revealed that Viagra can increase blood flow in both large and small blood vessels in the brain, as measured through ultrasound and MRI scans, and it appears to lower blood vessel resistance, something which contributes to the development of vascular dementia.
'It could be beneficial through reversing the small blood vessel dysfunction that occurs with age and is the most common cause of vascular dementia,' says Alastair Webb, a NHS consultant neurologist who led the study and a researcher at Imperial College London. 'By dilating smaller blood vessels, it could also help to reduce the stress on big blood vessels and reverse their increasing stiffness [with age].'
Erectile dysfunction drugs may even offer wider benefits for other dementias. A major Phase 3 clinical trial called POLARIS-AD is currently testing a drug called AR1001 in patients with early Alzheimer's disease. Made by a company called AriBio, the drug is currently approved in South Korea for erectile dysfunction.
While blood vessel problems are also thought to be involved in Alzheimer's disease, Dr Tamagnini says that erectile dysfunction drugs can also increase production of a powerful hormone called nitric oxide.
'This is actually involved in the brain in memory consolidation,' he says. 'If I had to bet a pint on why Viagra and these other drugs can lower risk of dementia, I would put it on nitric oxide, and that somehow promotes the formation of new memories.'
4. Ozempic
Could semaglutide be the wonder drug of the decade? As well as being a potentially game-changing weight loss medication, there are some very real suggestions that semaglutide – marketed as Ozempic for Type 2 diabetes and Wegovy for obesity – could help lower risk of Alzheimer's disease.
The hype stems from two remarkable studies released last summer. The first found that diabetes patients taking semaglutide had a much lower risk of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia compared with those on a different diabetes drug called sitgliptin. The second found that Alzheimer's patients who received daily injections of liraglutide – a similar drug to semaglutide which also mimics the GLP-1 gut hormone – over the course of a year, had 50 per cent less brain shrinkage than those receiving a placebo.
According to Imperial College London neuroscience professor Paul Edison, the brain protective effects of semaglutide and other GLP-1 drugs are about more than just weight loss. Edison explains that there are multiple cell types in the brain to which these drugs are capable of binding, and animal studies suggest that they're capable of removing toxic proteins and stimulating neurons to repair themselves.
'We think it's quite a neuroprotective drug,' says Edison. 'It seems to activate different cascades of enzymes, and that reduces inflammation and eventually increases memory.'
We should soon have even more concrete evidence. Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has initiated two Phase 3 studies, called evoke and evoke+, which have been running across 40 countries for more than three years, to see whether semaglutide has a positive effect on early Alzheimer's disease. Results are expected next year.
5. BCG vaccine
It turns out that shingles is not the only vaccine which could make a difference. A study which saw scientists mine health data from more than 130 million individuals in the search for drugs with dementia-protecting qualities, highlighted the BCG vaccine for tuberculosis as a possible way of staving off cognitive decline.
However, Dr Ben Underwood, a researcher in old age psychiatry at the University of Cambridge who authored the study, says that he's not convinced that there's a direct line between the tuberculosis bacterium and dementia.
Instead, he suspects that the vaccine, which was first used medically in 1921 and most people are eligible to receive on the NHS, is having a wider immune-boosting effect.
'Maybe there's a more general effect of vaccination which gears up your immune system and gives you some more protection,' says Dr Underwood.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pensioner's four top tips for looking '25 years younger' including eating one vegetable
Pensioner's four top tips for looking '25 years younger' including eating one vegetable

Daily Record

time8 hours ago

  • Daily Record

Pensioner's four top tips for looking '25 years younger' including eating one vegetable

Many of us wish for our youthful looks back once we reach a certain age - and there are some things that can help. While there are many advantages to getting older - including being more settled in your life and becoming more worldly wise - it's no secret that your age can begin to show. Many of us wish for our youthful looks back once we reach a certain age. And while we may be very happy with who we are, trying to look a few years younger isn't uncommon. There are lots of lotions and potions that promise anti-ageing properties, while others try different lifestyle changes to try and roll back the years. One thing that many people think knocks off a few years is having a good tan. Sun-kissed skin can make you look and feel healthier and younger. But one expert has warned against using certain tanning methods and has suggested something much easier; eating one particular vegetable, reports The Express. TikTok user @healthcaretipswithjules is a 77-year-old woman who has shared four tips that she believes have helped her look 25 years younger. The septuagenarian says her go-to remedies make her "look younger than 50." In one video, she says: "Stop using fake tans or tanning beds, your skin can become too dry eventually. Simply eating carrots every single day can increase the melanin in your skin, helping you tan naturally." According to the Cookist, eating foods rich in beta-carotene, a vitamin A that naturally boosts melanin production, is essential to develop a healthy and glowing tan. These foods include yellow, red, or orange fruits and veggies like carrots, peppers, apricots, peaches, watermelon, melon, strawberries, and cherries. revealed that "most nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSC) and a large percentage of melanomas are associated with exposure to UV rays from natural sunlight and/or indoor tanning." So, choosing healthier fruit and vegetables can help keep you looking young, while also lowering the risk of serious health conditions linked to tanning. Another food product recommended by Jules is olive oil. She brands it a "great antioxidant which protects skin cells from being damaged". According to the holistic healthcare expert, if you drink one teaspoon a day - or eat five olives - you can "erase any ageing spots and improve skin elasticity". Her third natural remedy is to "sleep in an ice-cold room", which she classes as 21C or lower. Jules said: "[This will boost your metabolism drastically. It will help you lose fat while sleeping. It actually works." The final suggestion was to take Nicotinamide riboside. The nutrient is a member of the vitamin B3 family that can help with anti-ageing, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, Alzheimer's disease, and obesity. She shared: "This supplement increases the age-fighting cells in your body helping you feel and look younger. It's my favourite and I found it on Amazon." For those keen to take her advice, these Swiss BioEnergetics Ultra High Purity Nicotinamide Riboside 300mg capsules are currently down to £26.97 on Amazon. They boast a 4.4-rating and have been bought more than 100 times in the last month. One satisfied customer said: "High-quality supplement with noticeable benefits to energy and mental clarity after a few weeks of consistent use. "The capsules are easy to swallow and there are no unpleasant aftertastes. Packaging is secure and professional. Definitely feels like a premium product in the supplement space." However, a less enthused shopper said: "There is some evidence for the effectiveness of this supplement but it does seem a little over hyped. These capsules do seem fairly standard." But someone else called it an "effective supplement", adding: "For those exploring supplements to support ageing gracefully, incorporating NR from Swiss BioEnergetics could be a valuable addition." For those looking for a cheaper alternative, Nutri-Things offer Nicotinamide Riboside Supplement 300mg capsules for £13.99. One five-star reviewer said: "I have to say that I do notice a difference [after taking these capsules daily]. There is no big obvious energy boost, but you suddenly realise that you are doing more and not getting so tired. "I am not flagging in the evenings after work, in fact, I'm just as alert as at the start of the day and able to think as clearly. Before I'd be yawning and nodding off and that has stopped." But someone else said: "Didn't notice any difference from taking it, so I stopped after a month." Another happy customer described the capsules as "an ideal source of natural energy". They added: "It takes a few days to get into the system, but once there you will feel the difference." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.

Common sleeping habit 'change' could signal you have dementia
Common sleeping habit 'change' could signal you have dementia

Daily Mirror

time9 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Common sleeping habit 'change' could signal you have dementia

Experts have warned that the change may indicate something more serious An Alzheimer's charity has warned people that a change in their sleep could signal that they - or someone they know - could have dementia. People who have this condition often experience "physical changes in their brain" and as a result, sleep can be impacted. ‌ While we all struggle to sleep every now and again, if there's no real cause for your sleeping habits to change, you may want to seek further help from your doctor. According to experts at Alzheimer's Society, "a person with dementia may have problems with sleeping at night, and may sleep more during the day. ‌ "They may find it difficult to get to sleep or they may wake up in the night" meaning they never feel fully rested. They stress that poor sleep can make the symptoms of dementia worse, meaning a lack of sleep can make it even harder to cope with what a person is going through. ‌ The experts add that a person living with dementia requires regular, quality sleep to support their overall well-being. In fact, most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. A good sleep can: improve mood enhance mental clarity support a strong immune system help reduce the risk of falls and accidents lower physical stress on the body Explaining why people with dementia may see a change in their sleeping habits, they say that "the body clock of a person with dementia may become damaged, making it harder for them to feel awake and alert during the day". This is why they may also feel sleepy during the evening too. Melatonin, the sleeping hormone, can even be impacted by damage to the person's internal body clock, causing the hormone levels to rise at the wrong time. Exposure to bright light during the day - especially in the morning - and dimmer lighting in the evening can help support a more regular sleep-wake cycle. ‌ Urging people to seek help from their GP if their sleeping has been impacted - whether suddenly or by diagnosed dementia - the Alzheimer's Society explains: "Sleeping well can be difficult for a person aged over 55, as the parts of the brain that control sleep may not work as well An older person is likely to go to sleep earlier and may have difficulty sleeping through the night as much as they used to." What are the signs and symptoms of dementia? Different types of dementia can affect people differently, and everyone will experience symptoms in their own way. However, there are some common early symptoms that may appear some time before a diagnosis of dementia, reports the NHS. ‌ These symptoms include: memory loss difficulty concentrating finding it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks, such as getting confused over the correct change when shopping struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word being confused about time and place mood changes The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. Common symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include: memory problems, such as regularly forgetting recent events, names and faces asking questions repetitively increasing difficulties with tasks and activities that require organisation and planning becoming confused in unfamiliar environments difficulty finding the right words difficulty with numbers and/or handling money in shops becoming more withdrawn or anxious

Nutritionist shares best time of the day to drink coffee to reap the benefits
Nutritionist shares best time of the day to drink coffee to reap the benefits

Daily Mirror

timea day ago

  • Daily Mirror

Nutritionist shares best time of the day to drink coffee to reap the benefits

Coffee can boost your effectiveness and mood or overload your stress hormones and disrupt your sleep pattern depending on when you have your cup Coffee enthusiasts will be well aware of the effects their daily brew, from disrupting sleep patterns and hormone levels to enhancing metabolism and physical performance. But one expert suggests timing your first cup for mid to late morning could maximise benefits whilst minimising sleep disruption. ‌ Nichola Ludlam-Raine, author of How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed, explained: "The best time to drink coffee is typically mid-to-late morning, so around 9:30-11:30 AM. ‌ "This is when cortisol levels start to dip. Drinking coffee immediately upon waking may reduce its effectiveness, as cortisol (the alertness hormone) is naturally high in the early morning. ‌ "In the afternoon, coffee can still provide a boost, but it's best to avoid it too late in the day, especially if you're sensitive to caffeine. Caffeine can have a different impact on different people, so if it makes you jittery or anxious, it's best to avoid." Working with Coffee Friend, the nutritionist revealed that caffeine typically remains active in your body for approximately five to six hours. This means even an afternoon brew could still be influencing you well into the evening hours. She advised cutting off coffee consumption by roughly three pm daily to prevent interference with your sleep patterns. Whilst this guidance primarily applies to caffeinated varieties, opting for decaf doesn't give you carte blanche to keep sipping throughout the evening either. Nichola said: "Decaf coffee contains very small amounts of caffeine (typically 2–5 mg per cup compared to 70–150 mg in a regular coffee). While it is unlikely to affect sleep for most people, those who are very caffeine-sensitive might still need to be cautious about drinking decaf close to bedtime." Beyond giving you an energy kick and raising cortisol levels, coffee can also deliver some health perks. The nutritionist explained: 'Coffee is one of the biggest sources of antioxidants in the diet, helping to combat oxidative stress and inflammation.' ‌ 'Caffeine may help improve focus, memory, and reaction time. Regular coffee consumption has also been linked to a reduced risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Caffeine can slightly increase metabolic rate and fat-burning, making it a potential aid for weight management when paired with a balanced diet and exercise.' 'Regular coffee drinkers appear to have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, potentially due to its effect on insulin sensitivity. Coffee can boost dopamine production, which may help improve mood and reduce the risk of depression.' Different varieties of coffee have also been associated with varying health impacts, with new research on instant coffee revealing it could be raising the chances of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This condition cannot be reversed and slowly destroys central vision. Published in the Food Science & Nutrition journal, the study read: "Previous cohort studies suggested that coffee was beneficial for AMD. In contrast, our study provided a more detailed stratification of coffee types and yielded different results. We found that instant coffee significantly increases the risk of AMD." However, it's not all doom and gloom for coffee lovers, as ground coffee and decaffeinated coffee didn't pose the same significant risk as instant coffee, which was linked to a staggering 6.92-fold increased risk of AMD.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store