Ozempic-like fat jabs are BETTER than common drug at reducing dementia risk, study finds
While both medications demonstrate neuroprotective properties, no comparison has been made up until now.
1
Metformin is generally the first-line medication for type 2 diabetes, while GLP-1 receptor agonists are often used as second-line or add-on therapy when metformin is not sufficient or tolerated.
In recent times, GLP-1 receptor agonists have gained popularity as a weight loss medication due to their ability to suppress appetite and promote feelings of fullness.
Previously published research indicated people with type 2 diabetes have a significantly increased risk of developing dementia, with some studies reporting a 70 per cent higher risk compared to those without diabetes.
And both GLP-1 receptor agonists and metformin have been shown to protect the brains of people with type 2 diabetes.
But in the largest study of its kind, published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, GLP-1 receptor agonists were found to trump metformin when it comes to dementia risk.
Researchers analysed health records from the period 2004 to 2024 to track the development of dementia in patients with type 2 diabetes who were treated with either GLP-1 receptor agonists or metformin for at least six consecutive months.
While there was no significant difference in vascular dementia risk between the two types of drug, GLP-1 receptor agonist use was associated with a significantly lower risk of developing dementia, overall.
Specifically, taking GLP-1 receptor agonists was linked to a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, and a 25 per cent lower risk of developing non-vascular dementias than metformin use.
These positive effects were evident across all age groups, but with the strongest effect among the over 60s, women, and those of white ethnicity.
Risk of death from any cause was also found to be lower - nearly 5 per cent of those treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists died compared with nearly 9 per cent of those treated with metformin.
The 14 science-backed ways to prevent dementia
'Both medications demonstrate neuroprotective properties, such as reducing neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, improving insulin sensitivity, and enhancing cerebrovascular health, which likely contribute to their benefits in overall dementia,' explain the researchers.
But unlike metformin, GLP-1 receptor agonists exert direct central nervous system effects by crossing the blood-brain barrier, they add.
The researchers point out their tracking period, while sufficient for observing dementia outcomes, may not fully capture long-term cognitive effects, especially given the progressive nature of Alzheimer's disease.
But they conclude: "Given the severe societal, familial , and economic burden of diabetes-related dementia, these findings raise important considerations about the tole of GLP-1 [receptor agonists] as first-line therapies in [type 2 diabetes] management.
"While further long-term studies are warranted to validate these results, integrating GLP-1 [receptor agonists] as primary therapeutic agents may represent a paradigm shift in preventing the cognitive complications of diabetes.'
All GLP-1 medicines are prescription only medicines, which means they can only be prescribed by a healthcare professional.
GLP-1 medicines can also be purchased privately.
If you want to get a GLP-1 medicine privately, a consultation with a healthcare professional must happen before the prescription can be issued, so the prescriber can carry out proper checks and make sure you are aware of the benefits and risks of taking the medicine.
GLP-1 medicines should not be bought from unregulated sellers such as beauty salons or via social media, or from anywhere without a prior consultation with a healthcare professional.
The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has had reports of people experiencing severe side effects from fake GLP-1 medicines.
Ways to lower dementia risk with type 2 diabetes
Manage blood sugar levels
Strictly follow a diabetes management plan, as prescribed by a healthcare professional. This includes medication, diet and exercise.
Regularly monitor blood sugar levels and manage insulin appropriately.
Adopt a healthy lifestyle
Follow a balanced diet in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein, with limited saturated fat, sugar, and salt.
Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.
Being overweight or obese can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and other conditions linked to dementia. Weight management through diet and exercise can help mitigate these risks.
Engage in activities that challenge your mind, such as puzzles, reading, learning new skills, or socialising.
Address other risk factors
High blood pressure and cholesterol can damage blood vessels, increasing the risk of both cardiovascular disease and dementia. Regular check-ups and appropriate treatment are essential.
Excessive alcohol consumption can negatively impact brain health. Moderate drinking or abstaining from alcohol can be beneficial.
Hearing loss can contribute to cognitive decline. Addressing hearing problems through hearing aids or other interventions can help maintain cognitive function.
Seek professional guidance
Regular medical check-ups are important for monitoring overall health and identifying and addressing potential risk factors early on.
Work with your doctor, diabetes educator, or other healthcare professionals to develop a personalized plan for managing your diabetes and reducing your risk of dementia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
More than 400 indirect deaths linked to LA wildfires, study suggests
More than 400 additional deaths are estimated to be linked to the wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles earlier this year, according to a new study. The figure, published on Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA, looks at deaths that have been attributed to factors caused by the wildfires, like poor air quality and delays in accessing is a higher figure than the official death count of 31 by the Los Angeles County, which tallied deaths caused directly by the study comes as hundreds of wildfires burn across the US and Canada, prompting air quality advisories in cities like Chicago, Buffalo and New York. The Palisades and Eaton fires tore through Los Angeles in January, destroying thousands of structures and leading to the evacuation of more than 100,000 Los Angeles wildfires are becoming faster and more furiousThe far-reaching impacts of wildfire smoke – and how to protect yourselfThe latest study revealed that around 440 people are estimated to have died as a result of the wildfires between 5 January and 1 February. Researchers said they tallied the figure by looking at all deaths and their causes in Los Angeles during the period of the fires, and comparing it to similar data from previous results show that there were nearly 7% more deaths during the wildfires. Some are attributed to lung and heart conditions exacerbated by smoke or stress, while others are more indirect - like delayed healthcare treatment for dialysis or cancer patients as a result of fire-related authors said that the findings underscore the need for officials to count both direct and indirect fatalities of wildfires and other climate-related emergencies when trying to quantify their impact. "They also highlight the need for improved mortality surveillance during and after wildfire emergencies," the authors said, noting that their figures are provisional as there may have been additional fire-related deaths beyond the scope of the BBC has reached out to Los Angeles County officials for comment on the study's findings. Another study released on Wednesday in JAMA that looked at the aftermath of the 2023 Maui wildfires showed that 22% of adults in the region had reduced lung function, and half displayed symptoms of depression. The fires, which broke out in August 2023 and were the worst to affect Hawaii in recent history, killed at least 102 people and destroyed more than 2,000 structures. The authors of the Maui study said their results show the need for "sustained clinical monitoring and community-based mental health supports" months after a climate disaster.A second study on the Hawaii fires suggests that Maui saw the highest suicide and drug overdose rates in the month of the 2023 have become more frequent in recent years as a result of climate change, driven by hotter and drier weather that fuels fire addition to directly threatening lives and structures, smoke from wildfires has been shown to have adverse health effects on smoke has been found to be harmful to certain immune cells in the lungs, with a toxicity four times greater than particulates from other types of pollution. This can have a long-term impact on cardiovascular health, experts have people, pregnant women and young children, as well as those with underlying health conditions, such as heart disease or asthma, are more likely to get sick, experts say. But the smoke can also impact healthy adults.
Medical News Today
2 hours ago
- Medical News Today
Muscle loss from GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic may not be as high as thought
While past studies show that adults taking a GLP-1 medication can lose between 5-15% of their starting body weight, other research reports that a good portion of that weight loss comes from muscle loss. A new study says, via a mouse model, that muscle loss from GLP-1 medications like Ozempic may not be as high as recently thought. Researchers also found that the decrease in lean muscle mass was not all from skeletal muscles, but from other body tissues, including the polls estimate that one in every eight adults in the U.S. have taken a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1) — a class of prescription drugs originally used to treat type 2 diabetes that has gained popularity as a method of weight of GLP-1 medications include semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, sold under the brand names Zepbound and Mounjaro. Past studies show that adults taking a GLP-1 medication can lose between 5-15% of their starting body weight within one year. However, other research reports that about 25-39% of that weight loss is from muscle loss. Now, a new study recently published in the journal Cell Metabolism says, via a mouse model, that muscle loss from GLP-1 medications like Ozempic may not be as high as recently thought. Researchers also found that the decrease in lean muscle mass was not all from skeletal muscles, but from other body tissues, including the liver. Lean muscle mass loss not just from skeletal musclesFor this study, researchers used a mouse model to determine how GLP-1 medications like Ozempic affected lean muscle mass. Upon analysis, researchers found that Ozempic-related weight loss in mice resulted in a lean muscle mass decrease of about 10%, which is less than some previous studies report that as the mice lost weight, some skeletal muscles did decrease, while other muscles stayed the same. Researchers state that the muscle mass decrease is a return to baseline, as gaining fat is usually accompanied by a gain in skeletal muscle. Researchers found some mice experienced a decrease in strength in skeletal muscles that stayed almost the same researchers found that a good portion of the decrease in lean muscle mass did not come from skeletal muscles, but rather other tissues in the body, such as the liver, which they report reduced in size by almost half. It is not uncommon for the liver to decrease in size during weight loss, which can help reduce a person's risk for fatty liver disease.'If we want to really help the individuals who may be losing muscle mass, then we need to know that they're actually losing muscle mass,' Katsu Funai, PhD, associate professor of nutrition and integrative physiology in the University of Utah College of Health and the senior author on the study says in a press release. 'We have data in mice that suggest that things are not as straightforward as they might seem.'Working with a dietitian while taking GLP-1sMedical News Today spoke with Seth Kipnis, MD, FACS, FASMBS, director of bariatric and robotic surgery at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, about this study, who commented that a drop in lean muscle mass is expected. Some muscle loss is inevitable'Any patient with a restricted diet and poor nutrition/protein will have a drop in muscle mass. The key of any weight loss program, surgical, medical or GLP-1 is adequate nutrition. Working with a registered dietitian is key to long-term success and avoiding complications of malnutrition.' — Seth Kipnis, MD, FACS, FASMBS'More and more people are taking these medications on a regular basis,' he continued. 'They are working well to control weight. We should know the side effects that can be caused in the long term so that patients can be counseled on how to avoid long-term issues.' Kipnis said he would like to see better long-term data as the next steps in this research. 'And are different outcomes found depending on the prescriber and the type of follow-up,' he added. 'It is our assumption that specialists in weight management and nutrition will have better outcomes than a primary care doctor that treats every disease. Obesity is a unique disease that requires specialists to manage.'Human trials needed to further analyze GLP-1s and muscle lossMNT also talked to Kais Rona, MD, a bariatric surgeon of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA.'As a physician who has treated and continues to treat many patients with GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, I found this study quite interesting,' Rona said. 'Although the data in this study cannot be extrapolated directly to humans, it does shed some light on potentially important physiologic effects of the medication.' 'The decrease in lean mass with GLP-1 use was associated with a lesser decrease in skeletal muscle mass and a greater decrease in the size of metabolically active organs such as the liver. This can have important physiologic effects on metabolism and overall health. We also see a decrease in liver mass in patients undergoing weight loss surgery, which often leads to beneficial health effects. Importantly, this study also highlights the importance of determining the functional impact of muscle loss and whether that is reflected in a loss of strength as well.'— Kais Rona, MD'It's extremely important to continue to study the potential side effects, including the loss of lean muscle mass, associated with GLP-1 medications as it can have major effects on our healthcare system as a whole,' Rona added. 'Furthermore, we need to continue to broaden our understanding of the physiologic effects of these medications to optimize patient safety and overall outcomes.' Rona said the next best research step would be to perform randomized-controlled trials in humans to further analyze the effects of GLP-1 medications on lean mass as well as skeletal muscle mass. 'It would be important to evaluate its effects on muscle strength as well as function,' he added. 'Also to determine whether certain areas of the body are more susceptible to muscle loss as well as identifying preventive strategies to combat muscle loss.'
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
UK scientists find genes linked with chronic fatigue syndrome
Aug 6 (Reuters) - Researchers at the University of Edinburgh said on Wednesday they have discovered differences in the DNA of people with chronic fatigue syndrome that should help dispel the notion that the debilitating condition is psychological or driven by laziness. Their study found eight areas of genetic code that are different in people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) than in healthy volunteers. The finding provides 'the first robust evidence that genes contribute to a person's chance of developing the disease,' the researchers said in a statement. The key features of the condition include worsening of fatigue, pain and brain fog after even minor physical or mental activity. Very little has been known about the causes of ME/CFS, and there is no diagnostic test or cure. The condition is believed to affect around 67 million people worldwide, the researchers said. The DecodeME study analyzed DNA samples from 15,579 people who reported having chronic fatigue on a questionnaire and 259,909 people without it, all of European descent. Gene variants that were more common in people reporting ME/CFS were linked to the immune and nervous systems, according to a report of the study that has not yet been peer-reviewed. At least two of the gene regions relate to how the body responds to infection, which aligns with reports that the symptoms often start after an infectious illness, the researchers said. Another gene region has previously been identified in people with chronic pain, another common symptom of the condition. The findings 'align with decades of patients reporting on their experiences,' researcher Andy Devereux-Cooke said in a statement, adding that they "should prove game changing in the ME/CFS research field.' 'These results will not mean that a test or cure will be developed straight away, but they will lead to a greater understanding," he said. Scientists who were not involved in the study said using volunteers who self-reported chronic fatigue syndrome rather than restricting participation to those with a diagnosis from a medical professional somewhat weakened its conclusions. They called for larger studies to replicate the results. Substantial work will be necessary 'to translate these findings into new treatments," said Dr. Jackie Cliff, who studies infection and immunity in ME/CFS at Brunel University of London. "This will take considerable investment in academia and by industry.'
