Diabetes drug linked to lower risk of dementia, study results

New research this week is the latest to suggest some drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes may also help prevent dementia in high-risk patients Groups. The study found that older people who took a relatively older class of antidiabetic drugs were less likely to develop dementia than those who took other common antidiabetic drugs. The results could warrant new clinical trials to confirm the untapped potential of these drugs, the authors say.

Dementia is the progressive and ultimately fatal loss of cognitive function that steadily impairs a person’s ability to remember, reason, and ultimately perform basic tasks such as eating. There are different forms of dementia and many different factors that make people more susceptible to development, including our genetics. A main compartment alleged contributor there is a risk of dementia Type 2 diabetes. And that has led some researchers to wonder if drugs that can successfully treat diabetes can also lower a person’s risk of dementia.

Unfortunately, research on this connection has been mixed, with some studies This shows that popular diabetes drugs like metformin are associated with a lower risk of dementia, but other studies show no possible benefit. In this new study, the researchers decided to look at a class of diabetes drugs that has received less attention in the field of dementia research, drugs known as thiazolidinediones, or TZDs.

The team analyzed the medical records of over half a million people aged 60 and older with type 2 diabetes served by Veterans Affairs, the largest networked healthcare system System in the US They compared the long-term outcomes of people who took TZDs for at least a year to people who took other diabetes drugs, such as metformin and another class of drugs called sulfonylureas. These individuals were not diagnosed with dementia prior to starting medication and were followed for a median of nearly seven years. People taking only metformin were used as a control group because the drug is the most common front line Option for type 2 diabetes and people who haven’t had it required Medications for their diabetes are usually healthier than the typical patient.

During the study period, those taking TZDs alone were 22% less likely to be diagnosed with some form of dementia compared to those taking only metformin. They also found that these people were 11% less likely to be specifically diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. In addition, patients were 57% less likely to develop vascular dementia, which accounts for about 10% of cases. The insights were released Tuesday at the BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care.

There can be many different causes of dementia and it is likely that any preventive effect of TZDs or other medications would be complicated as well. However, circulatory problems are common in diabetic patients and are a known risk factor for vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s. Therefore, the researchers argue that TZDs may primarily help prevent dementia by helping to promote a healthier circulatory system.

These results show a correlation between taking TZDs and a lower risk of dementia, however not definitive cause and effect. And TZDs are not free from their own worries. These drugs were developed in the 1990s and are still widely used today –most times as a second-line option. In the mid-2000s, some research suggested that certain TZDs might increase the risk of heart attacks, leading to the Food and Drug Administration putting a warning label on the TZD drug rosiglitazone. Later studies failed to confirm this connection and the warning sign was up eventually removed. But recent research has rekindled this debate, and the drugs are still not recommended for patients at increased risk of heart failure.

Overall, the authors say the results should stimulate further research, including clinical trials, into the potential benefits of these drugs for dementia. And assuming they’re validated, the research could shed light on how doctors treat diabetic patients at high risk of dementia. For example, the team found that people who only took sulfonylureas were actually more likely to develop dementia than those who took metformin or TZDs. If these drugs somehow increase the likelihood of dementia, the researchers say, then it might be worth stacking them with metformin or TZDs to offset that risk. The possible effect of TZDs in the prevention of dementia was also greater in people who were overweight or obese, suggesting these patients would benefit the most. Other newer diabetes drugs are is also studied for their potential to prevent dementia.

“Our results provide additional information to help clinicians make choices [antidiabetic medications] for patients with mild or moderate type 2 diabetes and at high risk of dementia,” the authors write.