Type 2 diabetes drug could cut the risk of getting dementia, study finds READ MORE: Eating red meat 'increases type two diabetes danger' By Kate Pickles Health Editor For The Daily Mail Published: 23:30 BST, 28 August 2024 | Updated: 23:30 BST, 28 August 2024 e-mail View comments A drug used to treat type 2 diabetes could significantly reduce the chances of getting dementia, research suggests. Type 2 diabetics are known to have a heightened risk of going on to develop dementia, with the risk increasing the longer or more severe their diabetes is. Researchers found that those who were taking sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors to treat diabetes slashed the risk of dementia by up to half compared to those who did not.
Although preliminary findings, the results suggest repurposing existing drugs has ‘huge potential’ in helping to reduce risks of other disease. Researchers analysed data from 110,885 type 2 diabetics aged between 40 and 69 on the Korea National Health Insurance Service. They looked at patients were taking SGLT-2 inhibitors, which reduce the amount of glucose (sugar) - the kidneys reabsorb, allowing it to pass out of the body in urine.
Type 2 diabetics are known to have a heightened risk of going on to develop dementia, with the risk increasing the longer or more severe their diabetes is Diabetes is now a 'rapidly escalating crisis' in the UK, as the number of people with the condition is thought to have exceeded five million These were then comp.