Do some diabetes drugs reduce the risk of Alzheimer's?
Study finds people taking the drugs have fewer biomarkers, slower
cognitive decline

Date:
August 11, 2021
Source:
American Academy of Neurology
Summary:
People taking certain drugs to lower blood sugar for type 2 diabetes
had less amyloid in the brain, a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease,
when compared to both people with type 2 diabetes not taking the
drugs and people without diabetes. The new study also found people
taking these drugs, called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors,
showed slower cognitive decline than people in the other two groups.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== People taking certain drugs to lower blood sugar for type 2 diabetes
had less amyloid in the brain, a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease, when compared to both people with type 2 diabetes not taking the drugs and
people without diabetes.

The new study, published in the August 11, 2021, online issue of
Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, also
found people taking these drugs, called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, showed slower cognitive decline than people in the other two groups.


==========================================================================
In people with type 2 diabetes, the body no longer efficiently uses
insulin to control blood sugar. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, also
known as gliptins, can be prescribed when other diabetes drugs do not
work. They help control blood sugar when combined with diet and exercise.

"People with diabetes have been shown to have a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease, possibly due to high blood sugar levels, which have been linked
to the buildup of amyloid beta in the brain," said study author Phil
Hyu Lee, MD, PhD, of Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul,
South Korea. "Not only did our study show that people taking dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors to lower blood sugar levels had less amyloid
in their brains overall, it also showed lower levels in areas of the
brain involved in Alzheimer's disease." The study involved 282 people
with an average age of 76 who were followed up to six years. All had
been diagnosed with either pre-clinical, early or probable Alzheimer's
disease. Of the group, 70 people had diabetes and were being treated
with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, 71 had diabetes but were not
being treated with the drugs and 141 did not have diabetes. Those
without diabetes were matched to those with diabetes for age, sex, and education levels. All had similar scores on cognitive tests at the start
of the study.

Participants had brain scans to measure the amount of amyloid in the
brain.

Researchers found that people with diabetes who took the drugs had lower average amounts of amyloid plaques in the brain compared to people with diabetes who did not take the drugs and compared to people who did not
have diabetes.

All participants took a common thinking and memory test called the
Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) on average, every 12 months for 2.5
years. Questions include asking a person to count backward from 100
by sevens or copying a picture on a piece of paper. Scores on the test
range from zero to 30.

Researchers found that people with diabetes who took the drugs had an
average annual decline of 0.87 points on their MMSE score, while people
with diabetes who did not take the drugs had an average annual decline
of 1.65 points. People without diabetes scored an average annual decline
of 1.48 points.

When researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect test scores,
they found that the scores of the people taking the drug declined by 0.77 points per year more slowly than the people who did not take the drug.

"Our results showing less amyloid in the brains of people taking these medications and less cognitive decline, when compared to people without diabetes raises the possibility that these medications may also be
beneficial for people without diabetes who have thinking and memory
problems," said Lee.

"More research is needed to demonstrate whether these drugs may have neuroprotective properties in all people." A limitation of the study
was that data were not available to show the accumulation of amyloid
in participants' brains over time. This study does not show cause and
effect. It only shows an association.

The study was supported by the Korean Healthy Industry Development
Institute and the Korean Ministry of Health & Welfare.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Academy_of_Neurology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Seong Ho Jeong, Hye Ryun Kim, Jeonghun Kim, Hankyeol Kim, Namki
Hong, Jin
Ho Jung, Kyoungwon Baik, Hanna Cho, Chul Hyoung Lyoo, Byoung Seok
Ye, Young H. Sohn, Joon-Kyung Seong, Phil Hyu Lee. Association of
Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor Use and Amyloid Burden in Diabetic
Patients With AD-Related Cognitive Impairment. Neurology, 2021;
10.1212/ WNL.0000000000012534 DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000012534 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210811175221.htm

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