The hottest drug on the market may be an unlikely brain booster: In a study published this month, scientists found evidence that semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, may not only improve cognitive function but also boost brain activity. It reduces nicotine dependence. The drug is currently being tested as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
Benefits other than obesity
Semaglutide belongs to a class of drugs that mimic the natural GLP-1, a hormone important in regulating blood sugar levels, hunger, etc. GLP-1 drugs have been used to treat type 2 diabetes for nearly 20 years. However, newer drugs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound) have proven to be much more effective. More effective They are more effective at helping people lose weight than diet and exercise alone: In clinical trials, people who used these drugs lost an average of 15% to 20% of their body weight over a year.
But scientists are beginning to discover that the potential of these drugs extends beyond treating obesity and diabetes. Clinical trials have shown, for example, that semaglutide can prevent heart and kidney disease in obese people who are more prone to these diseases, while more speculative studies suggest that GLP-1 drugs may blunt heart and kidney disease in people. Overall Cancer RiskScientists from the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre and the Medical Research Council decided to investigate the possible effects of semaglutide on the brain and carried out this latest study.
Ozempic may improve brain function
The researchers compared the electronic medical records of more than 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes who were prescribed semaglutide with a similar group of people who were prescribed one of three other common diabetes medications. In particular, they tracked how often people in these groups were diagnosed with neurological or psychiatric problems a year after starting treatment with these drugs.
Overall, the researchers found that semaglutide did not pose a higher risk of neuropsychiatric disorders compared with other medications. They also found that there may be an association between taking semaglutide and a lower likelihood of certain problems, depending on the comparator, even after trying to control for potential bias. For example, people taking semaglutide had a lower risk of nicotine dependence compared with people taking glipizide or empagliflozin, and a lower risk of dementia compared with people taking sitagliptin.
“Concerns about possible adverse neuropsychiatric effects Semaglutide was not supported in our analysis, which will be useful information for regulators, patients and clinicians,” the researchers wrote in the paper. Published Earlier this month in the journal Clinical Medicine.
A retrospective study like this one can’t prove a causal link between semaglutide and improved brain health. Also, the study explicitly looked at only people with diabetes, not people with obesity (although some people may have both diabetes and obesity, this analysis cannot be used to generalize to obese people). However, other studies suggest that semaglutide may improve outcomes such as: Depression, anxietyand AlcoholismAccording to the researchers, the results This should encourage further research into the brain-enhancing potential of semaglutide and similar drugs.
“Our findings suggest that the use of semaglutide may have unexpected benefits beyond diabetes management, in the treatment and prevention of cognitive decline and substance abuse,” lead researcher Riccardo De Giorgi, a clinical lecturer at the University of Oxford, said in a university statement.
The drug’s possible neurological effects are being seriously considered by its manufacturer, Novo Nordisk. The Denmark-based company command Two large placebo-controlled trials are looking at whether semaglutide can improve the course of people diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s disease. Results are expected within the next few years.
