It is widely known that people with type 2 diabetes have a greater risk of developing dementia.
In the study, researchers analyzed data from 110,885 type 2 diabetes patients, aged 40 to 69, in the National Health Insurance Service in Korea.
They focused on patients who were taking sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors for diabetes, which reduce the amount of glucose (sugar), as well as those taking dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, known as gliptins, which work by blocking an enzyme that helps the body increase insulin levels after eating.
During the average follow-up period of about two years, 1,172 people were diagnosed with dementia.
The researchers found that patients who took sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) had a roughly half as much risk of developing dementia as those who did not.
Overall, dementia rates were 35% lower in those taking SGLT-2 inhibitors, compared with other medications.
The researchers also found a 39% reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and a 52% reduction in the risk of vascular dementia associated with SGLT-2 inhibitors compared with DPP-4 inhibitors.
They said the risk reduction rate improved the longer a patient took the drugs, which the research team suggests may affect inflammation in the brain, reducing the risk of cerebrovascular problems, or modify glucose metabolism in the brain.
Further “robust clinical trials” are needed to determine whether this could be a viable treatment in the future.
Dr Jackie Hanley, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “It is encouraging to see large studies exploring whether it is possible to repurpose drugs that have already been licensed as treatments for dementia. Given that these drugs have already been shown to be safe for use in humans, this could speed up the process of testing them in clinical trials for dementia.”
The study was published in the BMJ.
Source: Daily Mail
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2024-08-29 17:11:03
