Dementia: Weight loss injection could also help against Alzheimer's | Life & Knowledge
Could weight loss injections also help in the fight against Alzheimer's?
A small study of 204 patients in Great Britain provides evidence of this. The results were published at the Alzheimer Association's International Conference in the USA. Half of the participants received an injection of liraglutide (contained in Novo Nordisk's weight-loss injections, among other things) and the other half received a placebo.
Result: The drug seemed to shrink parts of the Brainthat control memory, learning, language and decision-making, by almost 50 percent compared to placebo. According to experts at Imperial College London, mental decline could be reduced by up to 18 percent after twelve months of treatment.
Drug reduces risk factors for Alzheimer's
The active ingredients liraglutide and semaglutide (contained in the Ozempic injection, among others) are components of medications that belong to the so-called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They were originally developed for diabetes because they regulate insulin levels. This has a positive effect on blood sugar levels and weight. They are now known as weight loss injections.
Prof. Christoph Kleinschnitz, Director of Neurology at the University Hospital Essen, told BILD: “This class of drugs is currently developing into a kind of miracle cure – against diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and also Alzheimer.”
According to Prof. Christoph Kleinschnitz, Director of Neurology at the University Hospital Essen, the first study results are very promising. They must be substantiated in future studies
Although the weight loss injections have no influence on the processes in the brain that can contribute to the development of Alzheimer's, “It has long been known that high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity are major risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.” If these factors are prevented, the dementia-Risk reduced.
Second important factor: Being overweight leads to permanent chronic inflammation in the body: “This chronic inflammation can also reach the brain and damage nerve cells, which can then cause memory problems in the long term,” explains Prof. Kleinschnitz. Losing weight also reduces inflammation and thus the risk of Alzheimer's.
Whether the weight loss injections really do have an advantage for Alzheimer's patients is currently being tested in further, larger studies. If their effectiveness is confirmed, the injections could be approved for treating the disease in the future. The health insurance company would then cover the costs. As a weight loss injection, patients currently have to cover the costs themselves.