Medicines first made to treat type 2 diabetes are now showing promise in protecting the brain. A group of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists—such as semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy—are being looked at for their potential to lower the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Two new studies, along with a recent opinion piece in the medical journal JAMA Neurology, support this idea.
Dementia is a serious condition that affects memory, thinking, and daily functioning. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Nearly 7 million people in the U.S. live with some form of dementia, and this number is expected to double by the year 2060.
Although some new Alzheimer’s drugs like lecanemab and aducanumab have been approved recently, they come with concerns about safety and how well they actually work. Because of this, scientists are now exploring the use of older, well-known drugs for other possible benefits—like protecting the brain.
One of the new studies comes from the University of Florida. Researchers there looked at the health records of over 90,000 people with type 2 diabetes. They focused on people taking either GLP-1 receptor agonists or a different class of diabetes drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors. These two types of drugs were compared to other common diabetes treatments.
The study found that people taking GLP-1 receptor agonists were 33% less likely to develop dementia, and those taking SGLT2 inhibitors had a 43% lower risk. The difference between the two drug types was not large enough to say one is clearly better, but both seem to offer strong brain-protecting effects.
Another research group from the University of Galway in Ireland did a similar analysis but in a different way. They reviewed 26 clinical trials that included more than 164,000 people. Their results also supported the idea that GLP-1 receptor agonists may lower the risk of dementia. However, unlike the Florida study, this review did not find benefits for SGLT2 inhibitors or another diabetes drug called pioglitazone. This suggests that GLP-1 drugs may play a more direct role in helping brain health.
GLP-1 receptor agonists were first created to help people with type 2 diabetes. These drugs help the body produce more insulin, lower blood sugar, and support weight loss. But scientists later discovered that GLP-1 receptors are not just found in the pancreas. They are also in the brain, heart, and immune system.
Animal studies showed that GLP-1 drugs can reduce inflammation in the brain, improve how brain cells connect and communicate, and slow the buildup of harmful proteins like amyloid and tau. These proteins are known to play a big role in Alzheimer’s disease.
In the JAMA Neurology editorial, Dr. Diana Thiara from the University of California, San Francisco, said the brain benefits of GLP-1 drugs look “highly promising.”
She mentioned that newer drugs like semaglutide are especially strong and may offer longer-lasting effects. She also pointed out that research is just beginning. Future medicines that target more than one hormone might offer even better protection for the brain.
Right now, two major clinical trials—called EVOKE and EVOKE Plus—are testing semaglutide in people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. If these trials show clear benefits, it could change how doctors treat both diabetes and dementia, especially in older adults who often face both conditions at the same time.
However, these drugs are not perfect. Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, and a loss of muscle, which can be a problem for older adults. In rare cases, people may develop pancreatitis, a serious condition involving the pancreas. Some early animal studies also suggested a possible link to thyroid cancer, but this has not been seen in humans so far.
In summary, GLP-1 receptor agonists, originally used to treat diabetes, are now being explored for brain protection. Two major studies support the idea that these drugs may lower the risk of dementia. One study found that both GLP-1 and SGLT2 drugs may help, while the other found benefits only for GLP-1 drugs.
Scientists believe this may be due to how GLP-1 drugs work in the brain. If ongoing clinical trials confirm these results, these widely used diabetes drugs could offer a new, effective way to fight dementia—especially important as our population ages and the number of dementia cases continues to rise.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about the cooking connection between potatoes and diabetes, and low calorie diets may help reverse type 2 diabetes.
For more health information, please see recent studies about protein power: a new ally in diabetes management, and pineapple and diabetes: A sweet surprise.
The research findings can be found in JAMA Neurology.
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