The success of Ozempic and Wegovy continues to amaze. These appetite suppressant drugs, prescribed for diabetes and obesity, are not only highly effective for lose weight and control blood sugar, but would also help protect the cardiovascular system and to decrease inflammationTwo new articles support a new potential benefit: these semaglutides would also be protective against Alzheimer's disease and other dementias!
Semaglutides protect people with diabetes from dementia
The first study dates from April 7, 2025; it was published in JAMA NeurologyResearchers at the University of Florida analyzed the effect of these treatments on the risk of dementia in people over 50 with type 2 diabetes. They studied the medical data of nearly 100,000 patients, followed between 2014 and 2023, who had no signs of dementia at the start of treatment. Some were treated with semaglutides, others with gliflozins (which reduce blood sugar by promoting the elimination of glucose through urine), and others with more traditional antidiabetic treatments. Patients treated with semaglutides had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, as did those treated with gliflozins, compared to patients treated with other antidiabetic drugs.
Same effect, but different paths
The authors believe that this protective effect of semaglutides could be due to a reduction in the accumulation of amyloid beta peptide and phosphorylation of the tau protein, markers of the development of this disease. Gliflozins, on the other hand, act by reducing oxidative stress and promoting the production of ketone bodies, an alternative energy source to glucose that has protective effects for the brain. Another possibility is that the observed benefits on cognition and memory are rather a side effect of the positive impact of these drugs on blood sugar and weight loss, which could improve health and thus reduce several risk factors associated with dementia.
“It's very encouraging to see that these diabetes drugs can also offer other benefits, such as protecting brain health., welcomes Jingchuan Guo, director of the study, in a press release. According to our research, the GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors (gliflozins) would have the potential to make them preventive treatments against Alzheimer's disease.”
The protective effect is not the same for everyone
The same team analyzed this data more closely to determine which people might particularly benefit from these treatments. In a study published on May 30, 2025 in Alzheimer's & Dementia, The researchers highlight that the patients most protected against dementia by semaglutides are those with cardiovascular or neurovascular diseases. According to the authors, these results suggest that the protective effect of these drugs would mainly come through a beneficial effect on blood vessels, which could improve oxygenation of the brain, protecting its health. These results are undoubtedly very encouraging, and could open the door to a potential preventive treatment against Alzheimer's disease, especially in people with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
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