A certain class of diabetes drugs called sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors may help reduce the risk of dementia and Parkinson's disease, a recent study revealed.

SGLT2, also known as gliflozins, works by reducing blood sugar levels by helping the kidneys remove sugar from the body through urine. In the latest study published in the journal Neurology, researchers noted that the use of these drugs was associated with a 20% reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease, a 20% reduced risk of Parkinson's disease, and a 30% reduced risk of developing vascular dementia after adjusting for other factors.

The retrospective study involved 358,862 participants with an average age of 58, who started diabetes medication between 2014 and 2019 in South Korea. Researchers matched participants using SGLT2 inhibitors with those on other oral diabetes medications, ensuring similar ages and health conditions. They then tracked the groups to see who developed dementia or Parkinson's disease. For those taking SGLT2 inhibitors, there was an average follow-up of two years and those taking the other drugs were followed for an average of four years.

Among 358,862 participants with an average age of 58 years, 6,837 individuals developed dementia or Parkinson's disease during the study. The analysis revealed that individuals using SGLT2 inhibitors showed significantly lower incidence rates of Alzheimer's disease (39.7 cases per 10,000 person-years), vascular dementia (10.6 cases), and Parkinson's disease (9.3 cases) compared to those on other diabetes medications, which had rates of 63.7, 18.7, and 13.7 cases, respectively.

"The results are generally consistent even after adjusting for factors like blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, and kidney function. More research is needed to validate the long-term validity of these findings," said study author Dr. Minyoung Lee, Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea.

However, since all participants were followed for less than five years, the study did not account for the possibility that some individuals might develop dementia or Parkinson's disease later on.

"We know that these neurodegenerative diseases like dementia and Parkinson's disease are common and the number of cases is growing as the population ages, and people with diabetes are at increased risk of cognitive impairment, so it's encouraging to see that this class of drugs may provide some protection against dementia and Parkinson's disease," Dr. Lee added.

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