Beyond weight loss: Can Ozempic sharpen your brain, cut dementia risk?

Weight loss drugs like Ozempic gained popularity for managing obesity, diabetes, and related chronic conditions, a new study says it may also help prevent cognitive decline

You have probably heard of Ozempic and Mounjaro as popular medications for diabetes and weight loss. A new research suggests they might be doing something even more, like helping to protect your brain. Two new studies published on Monday in the peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA Neurology reveal that these drugs could cut the risk of Alzheimer disease and related dementia by nearly half, especially for people with Type 2 diabetes.

 

The studies suggest that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor inhibitors (a drug that binds to a receptor inside a cell) such as Ozempic and Mounjaro could significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer disease and related dementia, especially among individuals with Type 2 diabetes. An analysis of several clinical trials revealed that these drugs were linked to a 45 per cent lower risk of developing Alzheimer disease and related dementia.

 

 

The findings have raised fresh interest in GLP-1 medications, which had already gained popularity for managing obesity and diabetes.

Impact on declining cognitive abilities in patients with diabetes

 

According to one of the studies, GLP-1 receptor inhibitors, including semaglutide, dulaglutide, and liraglutide, marketed as Ozempic, Trulicity, and Victoza, respectively, were associated with a reduced risk of dementia in patients with Type 2 diabetes. 

“It’s exciting that diabetes medications may offer additional benefits, such as protecting brain health,” Jingchuan Guo, one of the study’s authors was quoted in a report by The New York Post. “As the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists expands, it becomes increasingly important to understand their real-world impact across different population groups,” he said.

 

Another study published in JAMA Neurology reviewed 26 randomised clinical trials involving more than 164,000 participants and found that use of GLP-1 drugs was associated with a reduction in dementia risk.

 

“This research represents a significant contribution to our understanding of how glucose-lowering medications may impact brain health,” study co-author Catriona Reddin told The New York Post.

 

“Diabetes is a known risk factor for dementia, but whether glucose-lowering therapies can help prevent cognitive decline has remained unclear... Our findings suggest that GLP-1 receptor agonists, in particular, are associated with reduced risk of dementia,” Reddin said.

 

According to the study, current evidence is based on data from 2014, when these medications were primarily prescribed for people with Type 2 diabetes. This group faces an elevated risk of Alzheimer’s disease due to high blood sugar levels that can damage blood vessels in the brain and trigger chronic inflammation. Obesity, another common comorbidity, is also known to affect brain tissue associated with neurodegenerative diseases. 

Researchers say further studies are essential to determine whether the cognitive benefits of GLP-1 drugs extend to people without Type 2 diabetes. 

 

About GLP-1 inhibitors

GLP-1 inhibitors are a class of medications that mimic the action of the natural hormone GLP-1. These drugs stimulate insulin secretion, suppress glucagon, and slow gastric emptying, making them useful for managing several conditions, including Type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity or overweight (with or without diabetes), cardiovascular disease. According to various studies, investigations are being carried out on more uses of GLP-1 inhibitors like its potential to improve cognitive function and reduce the risk of Alzheimer disease and related dementia, decreasing liver fat content and slow down the liver damage under Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), for improving insulin resistance and support ovulation among women with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), reduce the severity of Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), among others.

 

Some of the GLP-1 medication available around the world are Exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon), Liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda – for weight loss), Dulaglutide (Trulicity), Semaglutide (Ozempic for diabetes, Wegovy for weight loss, Rybelsus oral tablet), Tirzepatide (Mounjaro – a dual GIP/GLP-1 agonist, with even broader potential).

 

In India, Tirzepatide drug Mounjaro was recently launched by US Pharma major Eli Lilly through select pharmacies and hospitals. The drug is available by prescription only.  It is priced at ₹3,500 for a 2.5 mg vial and ₹4,375 for a 5 mg vial. It is likely to cost in the range of ₹14,000 to ₹17,500 for a month’s therapy, depending on the dosage recommended by the doctor. Other weight loss drugs options available in India include Danish multinational pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk’s tablet Rybelsus, an oral tablet that was introduced in India in 2022.