Ozempic and Wegovy could be the latest breakthrough in Alzheimer's prevention

While recent studies have shown that these drugs can help stop opioid addiction and smoking and even help people live longer, a new study has been published in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association now also associates semaglutide with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease.

In the study, researchers at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine analyzed three years of electronic records from nearly one million Americans with type 2 diabetes. They compared patients prescribed semaglutide – a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist – with patients prescribed one of seven other antidiabetic drugs, including metformin, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP- 4i) and other GLP-1RAs (which mimic the effects of GLP-1). Patients prescribed semaglutide had a 40 to 70% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease for the first time compared to other antidiabetic drugs.

“The result is in line with our expectations,” says Rong Xu, professor of biomedical informatics at Case Western Reserve University and lead researcher on the study Assets.

Given other studies showing that semaglutide can help reduce inflammation in the body, prevent neuron damage, promote weight loss, control diabetes and prevent cardiovascular disease – in addition to curbing the urge to smoke and drink – says Xu that the drug already reduces the risk factors for Alzheimer's.

“If we can target these risk factors, semaglutide may help prevent or slow the symptoms or development of Alzheimer’s disease,” says Xu.

Xu makes it clear that this study was not intended to examine whether semaglutide reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease in people without diabetes.

“Diabetes itself is a risk factor [for Alzheimer’s]“, she says. That's why Xu and her team wanted to find out whether people at higher risk – people with diabetes – had better results with semaglutide than with other diabetes drugs.

Researchers can't say that semaglutide reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease, only that there is a link. Further research is needed.

However, Xu is also optimistic about what these study results could mean for people currently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. She would like to find out whether semaglutide could improve outcomes or have a therapeutic effect on those currently struggling with Alzheimer's symptoms.

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