People with type 2 diabetes may be able to significantly lower their risk of Alzheimer’s disease if they take Ozempic instead of other diabetes medications. discovered in new research.
Semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic Wegovy — A type of drug that mimics the body’s natural GLP-1 hormone, making users feel fuller for longer.
“Preclinical studies suggest that semaglutide may protect against neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation,” said Professor of Biomedical Informatics at Case Western Reserve University. Ron Shu“This new study provides real-world evidence of its impact on Alzheimer’s disease.”
Chronic inflammation is when the immune system remains activated long after the threat of injury or disease has passed.
Neuroinflammation (inflammation of nerve tissue) is commonly observed in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
People with diabetes tend to be at higher risk High blood sugar can damage blood vessels in the brain and promote inflammation, making it ideal for Alzheimer’s disease. Obesity is also involved. chronic inflammation.
GLP-1 drugs reduce inflammation indirectly through weight loss. These drugs activate certain T cells, which are key white blood cells in the immune system, and may have anti-inflammatory effects.
Xu’s team analyzed three years of electronic records of about 1 million Americans with type 2 diabetes who did not have Alzheimer’s disease at the start of the study. The researchers compared semaglutide to other GLP-1 and antidiabetic drugs insulin, metformin, DPP-4 inhibitors, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, sulfonylureas, and thiazolidinediones.
Semaglutide was associated with a 40% to 70% lower risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease for the first time, especially compared to insulin and also compared to other GLP-1 drugs.
The findings were consistent across gender, age and obesity subgroups and were published Thursday in the journal Science. Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia: Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association,
nearly 7 million Americans People over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s disease, which gradually destroys memory, thinking, and the ability to perform daily tasks. Approximately 120,000 Americans die each year from brain injuries.
“Our results indicate that further research into the use of semaglutide should be further investigated through randomized clinical trials so that alternative drugs can be tested as potential treatments for this debilitating disease. ” said Xu.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ozempic in 2017 to treat type 2 diabetes in adults, and Wigovy in 2021 to treat weight loss in adults.
A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegoby, told the Post that it “welcomes independent research investigating the safety, efficacy and clinical utility of our products.”
What Danish pharmaceutical companies are doing is An independent clinical trial of semaglutide for early Alzheimer’s disease is expected to be completed next year.
Meanwhile, researchers have tested Ozempic’s effects on a number of other conditions, including opioid and alcohol use disorders, heart disease, and skin disorders.
