(ANSA) – ROME, SEPTEMBER 19 – A class of diabetes drugs could help reduce the risk of dementia and Parkinson’s disease: this is further evidence of the protective potential of some anti-diabetes drugs that comes from a study published in the journal Neurology, which examined the so-called “sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors” (SGLT2), also known as gliflozins. These drugs reduce blood sugar levels by inducing the kidneys to eliminate sugar through urine.
Led by Minyoung Lee of Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, the study compared patients taking gliflozins with people taking other diabetes medications. Researchers followed the participants to see if they developed dementia or Parkinson’s.
Among 358,862 participants with an average age of 58, a total of 6,837 people developed dementia or Parkinson’s disease during the study. For Alzheimer’s disease, the incidence rate for those taking gliflozins was 39.7 cases per 10,000 people, compared with 63.7 cases for those taking other diabetes drugs. For vascular dementia, which is caused by blood vessel disease, the incidence rate for those taking gliflozins was 10.6 cases per 10,000, compared with 18.7 for those taking other drugs.
For Parkinson’s disease, the incidence rate for those taking gliflozins was 9.3 cases per 10,000, compared with 13.7 for those taking the other drugs.
In summary, the researchers found that gliflozin use could reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by 20% and the risk of Parkinson’s by 20%. Those taking the drugs had a 30% reduced risk of developing vascular dementia.
Of course, “further research is needed to confirm the long-term validity of these results,” Lee concludes. (ANSA).
2024-09-20 05:58:10