On August 29th local time, an observational study published by a South Korean research team in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) showed that people who take a common hypoglycemic drug SGLT-2 inhibitor to lower blood sugar have a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by more than one-third.
This study on more than 200000 people found that those who took SGLT-2 inhibitors to reduce blood sugar had a 35% lower risk of dementia than those who took dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor diabetes drugs, including a 39% lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and a 52% lower risk of vascular dementia. Alzheimer's is the most common manifestation of dementia.
Although observational studies have not proven a causal relationship between SGLT-2 inhibitors and the prevention of dementia, Eun Ha Kang, a co-author of the latest study and a researcher at Seoul National University in South Korea, said, "If a common hypoglycemic drug can reduce the risk of dementia, then from a public health perspective, its impact will be enormous
Dementia affects over 50 million patients worldwide. Another analytical study published last month also showed that SGLT-2 inhibitors can reduce the risk of developing dementia.
SGLT2 inhibitors were first approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Subsequently, SGLT2 inhibitors have also been shown to benefit patients with heart disease and prevent heart attacks. The representative drugs of this type of inhibitor are empagliflozin and dapagliflozin.
In recent years, with the popularity of GLP-1 drugs, the "star drugs" for lowering blood sugar and weight loss, companies such as Novo Nordisk are also studying the potential of these drugs to slow down cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease patients. Novo Nordisk is testing the GLP-1 drug semaglutide on 1840 early-stage Alzheimer's patients in a large-scale Phase 3 clinical study, and the first results are expected to be announced in September next year.
According to the results of a phase 2b clinical trial presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) last month, a study of 204 mild Alzheimer's disease patients found that GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide can slow down the atrophy of important parts of the brain in Alzheimer's disease patients by up to 50%, which are crucial for memory, learning, language, and decision-making. In addition, the cognitive decline rate of patients in the liraglutide group was 18% slower than that of patients in the placebo group.
A researcher from Taiwan, China, China, said in a review article published in the British Medical Journal: "Since there is no cure for dementia at present, and there are few effective treatment schemes, the strategy that can prevent the onset of dementia is crucial."
Professor Yu Jintai, from the Department of Neurology of Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, told China Business News: "diabetes itself will increase the risk of dementia, so if blood sugar is well controlled, it should also play a role in preventing dementia. But the causal relationship needs further research to prove."