Diabetes drugs can prevent memory loss and dementia? Your parents should know this

Certain types of drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes may help prevent some cases of dementia, according to new research. The research builds on earlier evidence that these drugs may be useful in combating debilitating disorders related to memory loss and cognition.

The scientists found a 35% reduced risk of dementia associated with a class of drugs that includes AstraZeneca PLC’s Forxiga and Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s Jardiance, called sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors. They were compared with so-called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, a class that includes Novartis’ Galvus and Johnson & Johnson’s Invokana.

The study, conducted using data from South Korea’s national health insurance database, was published in the British Medical Journal. It found that along with the possible reduced risk of dementia associated with SGLT2 inhibitors, there was also a 39% reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and a 52% reduction in the risk of vascular dementia.

Because the study was only observational, it cannot determine cause and effect between the drug and its effect on dementia risk. The scientists have now called for clinical trials to be conducted to test this theory.

Other studies have also shown that SGLT2 inhibitors are associated with a reduced risk of dementia.

Ivan Koychev, senior clinical researcher at Dementia Platform UK, said, “The mechanism through which these effects occur is unknown, but is probably related to affecting inflammation in the brain, reducing the risk of cerebrovascular events, or regulating glucose metabolism in the brain.” Koychev added that repurposing existing drugs for new indications “greatly reduces the risk of the drug failing due to safety concerns.”