Does a diabetes drug help prevent dementia?

New research in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism reveals that metformin, a medication traditionally prescribed to treat diabetes, is linked to lower risks of dementia and early death.

In the study by investigators at Taipei Medical University that included 452,777 adults with varying degrees of overweight and obesity, 35,784 cases of dementia and 76,048 deaths occurred over 10 years. Metformin users exhibited significantly lower risks of both dementia and all-cause death than nonusers.

The benefits of metformin were seen across all categories of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity, with 8–12% lower risks of dementia and 26–28% lower risks of death.

“Although our study results are promising for metformin’s effects on dementia and mortality, further research is required to explore the mechanisms involved,” said co-corresponding author Chiehfeng Chen, MD, PhD, MPH.

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dom.16647

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Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism is the only interdisciplinary journal for high-quality research and reviews in the areas of diabetes, obesity and metabolism. We focus on clinical and experimental pharmacology and therapeutics in any aspect of metabolic and endocrine disease, either in humans or animal and cellular systems. We also welcome manuscripts reporting on clinical data relating to novel devices, apps, glucose sensors and insulin pumps used to improve glycaemic control.

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