Can a popular weight loss drug reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease? | News Explained

“These results were similar in older patients, regardless of gender, with or without obesity. Cumulative incidence curves [of semaglutide and other diabetes medicine] “The onset of divergence within 30 days and continued separation thereafter indicates that semaglutide has the potential to slow or slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease and provide lasting effects,” the study said. .

promising research

Researchers analyzed the health records of more than 1 million people with type 2 diabetes in the United States to find out how semaglutide affects the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. They compared semaglutide to seven other diabetes drugs and followed patients for up to three years to see if they had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Other diabetes drugs used in the study included older GLP-1 drugs such as metformin, insulin, and liraglutide.

They used specific statistical techniques to study how long it took for these patients to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The study found that patients prescribed semaglutide had a significantly lower risk of Alzheimer's disease than those who took one of seven other diabetes drugs.

The most striking difference in the incidence of Alzheimer's disease was seen between patients taking semaglutide and those taking insulin, with patients taking semaglutide boasting a 70% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Ta.

Semaglutide also outperformed its predecessor liraglutide. Based on this finding, more potent GLP-1 RA drugs may be more effective than GLP-1 RA drugs, said Ron Shu, lead author of the study and director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence Drug Discovery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Ohio. He speculated that it might have an even more powerful effect in combating therapeutic drugs. Alzheimer's disease.

“Would we see a more powerful effect if we had a higher-dose dosage form?” Xu said in an interview with NBC.

The science behind the discovery

The study states that GLP-1 RA, a group of drugs that includes semaglutide, may help protect brain function. Early research on semaglutide has shown that it may reduce the toxic effects of certain proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease, improve the way brain cells use glucose for energy, and reduce the buildup of harmful plaques and fibrous changes associated with Alzheimer's disease. , a number of ways in which semaglutide may benefit the brain have been identified.

“Semaglutide reduces neuroinflammation commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease. It stabilizes blood sugar levels, limits oxidative stress and cell damage, and enhances cellular energy. It can protect neurons from degeneration, which is a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases,” said Professor Dr MV Padma Srivastava, Head, Department of Neurology, Paras Health, Gurugram. indian express.

“This study deepens our understanding of how GLP-1-mediated glycemic control confers brain protection…[and] “Effective blood sugar management and inflammation control have been shown to be important in the progression of Alzheimer's disease,” she said.

Potential impact

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced two treatments, Biogen's Rekenbi and Eli Lilly's Kisunra, that slightly slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease by targeting amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, in the brain. Approved. However, these can cause serious side effects such as brain swelling and cerebral hemorrhage. Traditionally, Alzheimer's disease has been managed primarily using cognitive and lifestyle interventions.

This is what makes the latest research introducing a new therapeutic pathway to treat Alzheimer's disease so groundbreaking. “By demonstrating that GLP-1 drugs can reduce several risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, this study suggests a dual-purpose use of these drugs: diabetes management and dementia. “Providing a preventive mechanism for this,” Dr. Srivastava said.

For India, this is especially important. The country has one of the highest rates of type 2 diabetes worldwide, which carries a high risk of cognitive decline. This is because type 2 diabetes causes chronic insulin resistance, high levels of inflammation in the brain, and oxidative stress. All of this causes impaired glucose metabolism in the brain, leading to cognitive decline and neuronal damage over time.

“GLP-1 drugs can delay or reduce dementia symptoms in people with diabetes, providing a preventive strategy that currently hardly exists,” said Dr. Srivastava. “This study could be transformative as Alzheimer's disease rates are also rising in India's aging population,” she said.