Originally designed to lower blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes , drugs like  Ozempic are now exhibiting some incredible side effects and even preventing  dementia .

The group of drugs called  GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs)  includes these drugs, which are already known to improve  heart and kidney function . They might also prevent cognitive decline,  as suggested by the latest studies. This is important because already  6.9 million Americans already have  Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, and by 2060, that figure is estimated to increase by more than two times.

Since diabetes also raises the risk of strokes, which can lead to  vascular dementia , we already know that  diabetes increases dementia risk . Yet, until recently, we did not know whether medications that manage blood sugar might help protect brain health.

“Such studies hint that GLP-1 receptor agonists, for example, can protect the brain,” stated Catriona Reddin, a doctor doing research at University of Galway, who welcomed the new developments.

Reddin was part of a team that analyzed data from 26 clinical trials involving over 160,000 patients, led by Galway medical students Allie Seminer and Alfredi Mulihano. What did they find? Users of GLP-1RA were 45% less likely than others to develop dementia or cognitive problems, which is a pretty significant drop. Interestingly, people on SGLT2 inhibitors, another class of diabetes drugs, didn’t experience the same benefit.

There is a catch, though. The relationship did not hold up when they looked at specific types of dementia, including Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, and Alzheimer’s. That was surprising since these drugs also lower the risk of heart disease, which is intimately linked with vascular dementia.

UCSF’s Dr. Diana Thiara called it surprising in an editorial, noting that if these medications reduce cardiovascular disease, they ought to prevent vascular dementia as well. But science often has surprises in store for us.

Huilin Tang, an epidemiologist at the University of Florida, conducted a second study that analyzed the medical records of nearly 400,000 people with type 2 diabetes. GLP-1RAs, SGLT2 inhibitors, and other drugs that lower blood sugar were compared in this study.

The results revealed that while other diabetic medications did not seem to have the same level of protection, individuals on SGLT2 inhibitors or GLP-1RAs were at lower risk of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

In short, both SGLT2 and GLP-1 drugs can help the brain, but more research is undoubtedly needed.

However, there are some limitations to such studies, including short follow-up periods, low overall rates of dementia diagnosis, and potential confounding factors (such as differences in lifestyle) that might distort the results. Also, not all medicines within these categories are produced in the same way.

As Dr. Thiara indicates, it is important to test more powerful, newer drugs such as semaglutide (the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Ozempic) independently of and not mixed with more traditional ones in the same group.

They could have very different—and potentially even more powerful—effects.