Study: Treatment for type 2 diabetes reduces risk of dementia

Research shows that a drug used in the treatment of… diabetes The second type could significantly reduce the chances of developing depression, and according to what the British newspaper “Daily Mail” said, it is known that Diabetics Type 2 people are at increased risk of developing dementia, and the risk increases the longer or more severe their diabetes.

The researchers found that those taking sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors to treat diabetes had a reduced risk of developing dementia up to half compared to those who did not take them.

Although the results are preliminary, they indicate that repurposing existing medicines has “tremendous potential” in reducing the risk of other diseases.

The researchers looked at patients taking SGLT-2 inhibitors, which reduce the amount of glucose (sugar) that is allowed to leave the body in the urine, and compared the the results of that and the results of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) antagonists, SGLT Inhibitors, which work by blocking an enzyme that helps the body to increase insulin levels after eating are lower in people taking a load -SGLT-2 inhibition compared to other medications This percentage increased to 52% for patients with vascular dementia, and reached 39% for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, according to published results in the British Medical Journal.

Researchers say that the reduction in risk improves the longer a person takes the medications, as scientists believe they may affect inflammation in the brain, reducing the risk of events. cerebrovascular or altering glucose metabolism in the brain.

They said “robust clinical trials” are now needed to determine whether this could be a viable treatment in the future.

Dr Jackie Hanley, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “It is encouraging to see large studies investigating whether drugs that have already been approved could be repurposed as treatments for dementia.

Since these drugs have already been proven safe for use in humans, this could speed up the testing process in clinical trials against depression, as well as make them much cheaper.

She said: On a wider scale, the idea of ​​repurposing existing medicines to treat diseases that cause depression is an idea with great potential.