Semaglutide Linked to Reduced Risk for Alzheimer Diagnosis in T2DM
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2024 -- For patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, semaglutide is associated with a reduced risk for a first-time Alzheimer disease (AD) diagnosis compared with other antidiabetic medications, according to a study published online Oct. 24 in Alzheimer's & Dementia.
William Wang, from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, and colleagues conducted emulation target trials based on a nationwide database of electronic health records for 116 million U.S. patients. Semaglutide was compared to seven other antidiabetic medications in seven target trials emulated among 1,094,761 eligible patients with type 2 diabetes without a prior AD diagnosis. A first-ever diagnosis of AD within a three-year follow-up period was examined.
The researchers found a significant reduction in the risk for a first-time AD diagnosis in association with semaglutide, with the strongest reduction compared with insulin and the weakest compared with other glucagon-like peptide receptor agonists (hazard ratios, 0.33 and 0.59, respectively). Across obesity status, gender, and age groups, similar results were seen.
"Additional preclinical and clinical studies are needed to shed light on the mechanisms of the potential benefits of semaglutide in preventing or delaying the onset of AD and establish causal effects through randomized trials," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted November 2024
Read this next
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 May Affect Risk for Alzheimer Disease
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer disease (AD) based on real-world data from the United States...
Exposure to Certain HIV Drugs May Significantly Lower Risk for Alzheimer Disease
TUESDAY, May 20, 2025 -- Exposure to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), which treat HIV and hepatitis B and inhibit inflammasome activation, is associated with a...
Overwork Tied to Structural Changes in Brains of Health Care Workers
MONDAY, May 19, 2025 -- Overwork in health care workers is associated with structural brain changes, particularly in regions linked to cognition and emotion, according to a study...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.