Can GLP-1 medicines and metformin affect dementia risk for those with Type 2 diabetes?
There’s a great deal of study going on into practices and treatments that might help with the prevention or at least the slowing down of the onset of dementia.
With a growing population of older people with Type 2 diabetes, it’s really interesting to see that GLP-1 and metformin – two regularly prescribed treatments for this condition – might affect the risk of dementia.
The information we found was quite medical-technical, so we asked ChatGTP to translate it into words that non-medics might understand. As a result, there may be some mis-translation, but there’s enough here we think to give us food for thought. It certainly does for me, and I’ve recently been successfully prescribed Mounjaro to bring my blood sugar levels down, and am being weaned off Metformin as a result!
Background: diabetes and dementia
It is believed that people with type 2 diabetes have a higher chance of developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, than people without diabetes. That’s partly because high blood sugar and insulin problems can damage blood vessels and trigger inflammation in the brain.
Doctors often prescribe medications to help control blood sugar in diabetes. Two common types are:
- Metformin – a long-used, first-choice medicine for Type 2 diabetes.
- GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) – newer medicines; examples include drugs like semaglutide and dulaglutide. These also help with weight loss and heart health.
What are studies seeing?
Both types of medicine may be linked to lower dementia risk
Research looking at health records suggests people with Type 2 diabetes who take GLP-1 meds tend to develop dementia less often than those who take metformin. In one large study, the overall chance of dementia was lower for people on GLP-1 drugs (about 2.5%) compared with those on metformin (about 5%).
For specific types of dementia:
- Alzheimer’s disease risk was about 12% lower with GLP-1 drugs than with metformin
- non-vascular dementias (other kinds) were about 25% lower with GLP-1 drugs compared with metformin.
GLP-1 drugs may perform better than metformin
The studies suggest that, as a group, GLP-1s are more strongly linked to reduced dementia risk than metformin – at least in people with Type 2 diabetes. That doesn’t mean metformin has no benefit, but the protective signal seems stronger with GLP-1s in some research.
Not all studies agree completely
Some analyses of multiple clinical trials (the strongest type of medical research) show that while GLP-1 meds are associated with lower dementia risk overall, this effect isn’t always clear for every type of dementia or in every study. Also, most data come from observational records rather than long-term trials designed to prove cause and effect – so scientists can’t say for sure why these differences exist.
How Might These Medicines Help the Brain?
Researchers think GLP-1 drugs might help protect the brain in several ways, such as:
- reducing inflammation in the brain
- improving how brain cells use sugar for energy
- supporting blood vessel health in the brain
These effects go beyond simply lowering blood sugar, which is one reason scientists are curious about their broader impact on brain health.
Important Points to Remember
- These findings do not prove that taking GLP-1 medicines prevents dementia – they show a link in people with diabetes
- Most evidence so far comes from studies looking back at health records. More controlled clinical trials are needed to confirm the effects
As ever, this article is for information only. Your medical professional knows more about your particular health situation, so talk to them before taking any action.
Image from UnSplash