2024-01-19 18:16:37
A new study from the USA has shown that metformin could help against Alzheimer’s. Other diabetes medications are also said to have this effect.
Diabetes mellitus is widespread in Germany and is something of a widespread disease. More and more people, including younger people, are becoming ill with diabetes, which occurs in various forms. According to the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are the main forms of the metabolic disease, with type 2 being the most common at 90 to 95 percent of those affected.
In type 2 diabetes, the body develops reduced sensitivity to insulin, i.e. insulin resistance. According to the BMG, therapy includes important components such as regular exercise, an adapted diet and a normal body weight.
In addition to lifestyle changes, it may also be necessary to inject insulin or take certain diabetes medications. These include metformin. As US researchers have now found out in a study, the drug could not only help with diabetes, but also with dementia.
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Briefly explained: What is dementia?
According to the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), dementia is a term for a wide range of symptoms that reflect an impairment of mental abilities. There are different forms of dementia, the best known being Alzheimer’s. Possible effects of dementia can be:
- forgetfulness
- Language problems
- Difficulty coping with everyday life
- Changes in personality
According to the BMBF, the likelihood of developing a form of dementia increases with age. Risk factors also include diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and lack of exercise. It is estimated that around 1.5 million people nationwide live with dementia. Around 300,000 new cases are identified every year, so that if the trend continues, around three million people are expected to be affected by 2050.
Diabetes and dementia: What is the connection?
According to the BMBF, diabetes mellitus is one of the risk factors for dementia. According to this, population studies show that “on average, people with diabetes are more likely to develop dementia than non-diabetics.” According to the ministry, the cause of this connection has not yet been fully researched, but a possible reason could be that diabetes mellitus can not only damage the kidneys and the cardiovascular system, but also affect the blood vessels in the brain. This gradual process could lead to a decline in cognitive abilities.
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Metformin: How does the diabetes drug affect dementia?
A US study published in the journal JAMA Network Open in October 2023 has shown that the diabetes drug metformin could have a positive effect on the brain and possibly prevent dementia. Previous studies have suggested that metformin can be associated with a lower incidence of dementia.
The study compared data from 12,220 people who stopped taking metformin early with that from 29,126 people who took the diabetes drug regularly. For this purpose, health data from the period from 1996 to 2020 were evaluated. The researchers found that people who stopped taking the medication early had a 1.21 times higher risk of dementia compared to routine users.
According to the researchers, the study provides further results that the diabetes drug metformin is associated with a lower risk of dementia. As a result, the study results could impact diabetes therapy for people who have a particularly high risk of dementia. Instead of other diabetes medications, they could continue to be treated with metformin for better protection.
Do other diabetes medications also help with dementia?
Other diabetes medications are also said to have a positive effect on the risk of dementia. The German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) found in 2015 that the active ingredient pioglitazone – with long-term treatment – significantly reduces the risk of dementia in diabetics.
By the way, the DZNE already attributed similar properties to metformin. According to the University of Innsbruck, metformin was also described as a miracle cure for Alzheimer’s in 2010. An international team of researchers published their study results in the scientific journal PNAS.
British researchers are according to the Deutschlandfunk In 2021, we came across another active ingredient that could slow down the progression of dementia, but is actually a diabetes medication. We are talking about a group of active ingredients, the so-called GLP-1 analogues, which also includes liraglutide. The substance has already been successfully tested on mice and a small group of Alzheimer’s sufferers and is said to have reduced memory loss. Incidentally, the successor to liraglutide is semaglutide. The active ingredient is also contained in the diabetes and weight loss injections Ozempic and Wegovy.
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