Weight loss drug Ozempic could cut the risk of developing dementia in half and protect against other mental problems, according to a new study.
People suffering from type 2 diabetes face an increased risk of dementia.
But after a year on the drug patients were found to have a 48 per cent lower risk of the disease, compared to those who had taken an older drug called sitagliptin.
They also had a lower risk of cognitive deficits compared with those who had been on either sitagliptin or glipizide, another older medicine.
The University of Oxford study suggests Ozempic may also be protective against addiction, after those taking it were found to have a 28 per cent lower risk of smoking than those who had been taking glipizide, researchers in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine journal said.
It is the latest in a series of trials to show potential benefits beyond diabetes control and weight loss for semaglutide, the main ingredient in both Novo’s Ozempic and its obesity medicine Wegovy.
Most of the other benefits – to the heart, kidneys and arthritic knees – are linked to weight loss, but scientists are also studying whether the medicine can help treat alcoholism by reducing the urge to drink.
The trial did not randomly assign patients to take Ozempic or other drugs.
Instead, it relied on medical records from more than 100,000 US patients, and researchers used statistical methods to ensure they were making the most accurate comparisons possible.
A study from Denmark came to a similar conclusion after following people with type 2 diabetes for five years, finding those on semaglutide or liraglutide had a lower incidence of dementia.
More research will be needed “to find out for certain if semaglutide does have benefits to reduce cognitive dysfunction or affect smoking rates in people with diabetes,” John Wilding, a professor of medicine at the University of Liverpool who reviewed the study independently, said in a comment distributed by the non-profit Science Media Centre.
Two clinical trials, which began in 2021, are testing whether semaglutide slows the progress of the disease in people with early stage Alzheimer’s. They are due to finish in 2026.
Semaglutide, the ingredient in Ozempic, acts as an insulin regulator, helping the pancreas to release the correct amount of insulin when blood sugar levels are high.
But there are no known receptors for semaglutide in the region of the brain responsible for memory, so it is not fully understood how the drug could treat dementia.
Writing in The Conversation, two Oxford academics said its effect on neuroinflammation could be key.
Semaglutide is believed to be anti-inflammatory and neuroinflammation damages the blood-brain barrier, they said, which is disrupted in both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
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