Drug for this disease associated with lower risk of dementia

A new study published this week revealed some new uses for a tried-and-true drug. The research found that a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes could help prevent dementia in people at higher risk of developing it in the future.

The researchers behind the study, published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, theorized that since type 2 diabetes contributes to dementia, the drugs used to treat it also increase a person’s risk of developing dementia. could affect.

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya via Unsplash

The researchers chose drugs known as TZDs, one that hasn’t been as well studied for use in dementia. They analyzed the medical records of a large number of subjects, all over the age of 60 and suffering from type 2 diabetes. All subjects were dementia-free at the start of the study. Then the researchers compared the people’s symptoms over a seven-year period and divided them into groups: those taking TZDs and patients taking other leading drugs for type 2 diabetes.

RELATED: These behaviors may be an early sign of dementia

The researchers concluded that participants who took TZDs were 22% less likely to be diagnosed with some form of dementia. They also found that this group was less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, a condition that falls on the dementia spectrum and affects over 6 million people in the country.

Although the study is promising and suggests a new way to prevent and treat dementia, the results do not imply cause and effect. Then there are the side effects of TZDs, which are murky. The evidence isn’t definitive, but there’s a link between these drugs and a higher risk of heart disease, which is why the drug isn’t prescribed as a first-line choice for people at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

RELATED: So much TV a week could increase dementia risk

According to the CDC, dementia is a term that encompasses various symptoms related to people’s impaired thought processes. It affects the way you think, make decisions and more, all to varying degrees and affecting your daily life. Conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and more are all considered to be a type of dementia.