A groundbreaking study has revealed that medications used in weight-loss injections can significantly reduce the risk of up to 42 health conditions, including dementia, in individuals with diabetes. The study’s results offer new insights into the potential broader applications of these medications, which could help prevent a variety of chronic and severe health issues beyond diabetes and obesity. The research, published in Nature Medicine , is the most comprehensive of its kind, comparing the health outcomes of people with diabetes who were treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) — medications found in popular drugs like Saxenda, Wegovy, and Mounjaro — to those who only received standard diabetes care.
It was found that GLP-1RAs were linked to a reduced risk of several serious conditions, including psychotic disorders, infections, and dementia. Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a co-author of the study from Washington University in St.
Louis, explained that the drugs had a protective effect on health outcomes, suggesting that their benefits extend beyond just diabetes management. “While we only studied people with diabetes, there’s no biological or clinical reason to think that the benefits would differ greatly in people without diabetes,” Dr. Al-Aly noted.
However, he added that individuals without obesity may not experience the same range of benefits. The research team analyzed records from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, tracking over 215,000 diabetes patients w.
