A type of diabetes drug appears to protect the brain SGLT2 inhibitors are linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and vascular dementia The drugs work by prompting the kidneys to filter sugar out of the bloodstream THURSDAY, Sept. 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- A specific class of diabetes drug appears to lower people’s risk for dementia and Parkinson’s disease, a new study shows. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, also known as gliflozins, lower blood sugar by prompting the kidneys to filter sugar out of the bloodstream and excrete it in urine, researchers said.
But these drugs might also protect brain health, researchers found. SGLT2 inhibitors are associated with a 20% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease, and a 30% reduced risk of dementia caused by blood vessel disease in the brain, researchers reported Sept. 18 in the journal Neurology .
“The results are generally consistent, even after adjusting for factors like blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol and kidney function,” said researcher Dr. Minyoung Lee of Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea. For the study, researchers analyzed data on nearly 359,000 people with type 2 diabetes who started taking diabetes meds between 2014 and 2019 in South Korea.
People prescribed SGLT2 inhibitors were compared with people taking other oral diabetes drugs. Alzheimer’s disease among people on SGLT2 inhibitors was just under 40 cases per 10,000 perso.