The Surprising Medication That May Lower Your Risk of Alzheimer's

A new study published on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, showed potentially promising results in Alzheimer’s and dementia prevention: It’s the third such study that indicates that semaglutides, the active ingredients in weight loss medications like Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic, may be linked to a reduced risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

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Can Ozempic Prevent Alzheimer’s?

Maybe, in certain patients, but research is ongoing.

The new study, from the journal Alzheimers & Dementia, examined more than 1 million patients’ medical records over the course of three years. All patients were 60 years old or older and had Type 2 diabetes and at least one other medical condition, which included high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity. Researchers compared results for patients just starting to use Ozempic to that of patients who’d begun using one of seven other diabetes medications, including Metformin, insulin therapies, liraglutides (an older version of the active ingredients used Ozempic-type medications) and other drugs. All patients in the study hadn’t used any other related medications in six months before the study began.

Related: How Do You Get a Prescription for Ozempic?

The results were pretty astounding: Patients who used Ozempic had a whopping 70% lower risk of Alzheimer’s than patients who relied on insulin therapies. What’s more, patients using semaglutides had significantly lower risk of Alzheimer’s across the board compared with any and all other diabetes medications in the study.

How Do Weight Loss Medications Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk?

More research needs to be done to determine if and how semaglutides exactly reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia, but experts have some theories so far.

“They improve the health of the blood vessels, which we know are impacted in Alzheimer’s disease, as well as cerebral small vessel disease, a common comorbidity with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative processes,” professor of neurology at Indiana University School of Medicine and Alzheimer’s & Dementia editor-in-chief Donna Wilcock told NBC News. “It is unclear in this study whether the benefits are independent from the impact on Type 2 diabetes—a risk factor for dementia—or whether the benefits are secondary to improving Type 2 diabetes.”

Related: What’s the Difference Between Ozempic and Metformin, and Which One Is Right for You?

Studies have also shown that Ozempic and similar drugs can reduce the risk of conditions like heart disease, obesity, Type 2 diabetes and inflammation, all of which themselves increase dementia risk.

Dr. Elizabeth Landsverk, MD, a geriatrician and dementia expert, previously explained to Parade that the link between obesity and dementia may be behind the link between Ozempic and reduced Alzheimer’s risk. However, she urges patients to rely on what’s long been tried and true: Eating a plant-based diet or the Mediterranean diet, which are both linked to reduced inflammation, a reduced risk of dementia and better brain health.

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Sources

• William Wang,
  QuangQiu Wang,
  Xin Qi,
  Mark Gurney,
  George Perry,
  Nora D. Volkow,
  Pamela B. Davis,
  David C. Kaelber,
  Rong Xu. “Associations of semaglutide with first-time diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in patients with type 2 diabetes: Target trial emulation using nationwide real-world data in the US.” Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
• Dr. Elizabeth Landsverk, MD