HOUSTON — Why could Ozempic play a role in reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease?
Ozempic and its sister drugs, like Wegovy, were first created to treat Type 2 diabetes. Since then, the drugs have surged in popularity thanks to their popular side effect -- weight loss. Now researchers believe the active ingredient in the drugs, semaglutide, ay benefit the brain, reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, especially in patients with Type 2 diabetes.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve school of Medicine looked at nearly one million patients in the U.S. with Type 2 diabetes. According to their research, patients prescribed semaglutide had a significantly lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease than patients who took other diabetes drugs.
The biggest difference came when you looked at patients who only treated their diabetes with insulin, compared to diabetics on semaglutide who had a 70 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s.
Researchers are not sure how semaglutide could protect the brain or by how much, though previous studies have shown the drug helps battle inflammation, heart disease and obesity. All are risk factors for developing dementia and Alzheimer’s.
While these results are hopeful, experts caution the public not to read to much into these results, suggesting more research is needed.