In Case You Haven't Heard…

Abstract

Popular diabetes and weight loss drugs may do more than curb appetites — they may also help reduce the risk of dementia, according to new research, CBS News reported. Two studies that noted this unexpected effect were recently published in the journal JAMA Neurology, though neither were specifically designed to look at that risk. One looked at 26 different clinical trials of these medications while the other looked at health records of thousands of people on these medications. “These were not clinical trials specifically to look at dementia, but based on what they saw in those trials, there was a hint that these newer medications, like Ozempic, like Mounjaro, may reduce the risk of dementia in people who are on those drugs,” Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, said on “CBS Mornings” April 8. Gounder said it makes sense that these medications may potentially have this effect. “What we're seeing is there's this underlying mechanism of damage to blood vessels, inflammation, which is what's driving many of the chronic diseases we see — whether that's heart disease, kidney disease, damage to the brain, which can lead to stroke or dementia,” she said.