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A class of medication used to regulate blood sugar in patients with Type 2 diabetes was linked to a lower risk of dementia in patients with psychiatric disorders, according to a new study.
The research, published in JAMA Network Open, examined patients suffering from major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia spectrum disorder who used SGLT2 inhibitors.
‘Neuroprotective role’
Individuals with major depressive, bipolar and schizophrenia spectrum disorders are historically more likely to develop dementia than other patients.
However, the subjects who took SGLT2 inhibitors showed lower odds of all-cause dementia in the results, as well as lower odds of psychiatric hospitalizations.
“The results support a neuroprotective role of SGLT2 inhibitors in a high-risk psychiatric population,” the researchers wrote.
What Are SGLT2 Inhibitors?
Significant amounts of research have been done on the effects of diabetes drugs like GLP-1s—such as semaglutide medications like Ozempic and Wegovy—on dementia risk.
GLP-1s have shown a lot of surprisingly positive side effects.
One study found that the weight loss from Ozempic could be protective against stroke, while other studies have shown that Ozempic can be helpful for people struggling with alcohol-use disorders as well as cocaine addiction.
SGLT2 inhibitors are less studied, but the new research suggests they could be helpful as well.
SGLT2 is a protein that reabsorbs glucose in the kidneys. The inhibitors work by causing your body to pass more glucose through urine. When glucose from the blood enters the kidneys, some re-enters the bloodstream.
SGLT2 inhibitors prevent that process. The medications have been shown to improve kidney and heart health.
The researchers say their new study is another link in an increasingly clear connection between metabolic and brain health.
Ketogenic Diets and Psychosis
In an interview with MedPageToday, study author Jaime Ramos-Cejudo said that SGLT2 inhibitors are, “unique among antidiabetic medications in that they induce ketogenesis.”
Ramos-Cejudo added that ketogenic diets have been linked to improvements in psychiatric disorders.
In 2024, a study from Stanford Medicine found that ketogenic diets—low-carb and high-fat diets that include lots of meats and leafy vegetables while eliminating breads and fruits—could be very beneficial for people dealing with mental illness.
The study examined 21 people using medication to manage bipolar or schizophrenic disorders.
The ketogenic diet was linked to a 31-percent improvement in the patients, who reported better sleep, more hope and greater life satisfaction, as well as better mood and energy.
Ramos-Cejudo told MedPageToday the new research, “lends support to the possibility that they offer a pharmacological means of achieving similar benefits.”
Newsweek has reached out to the study authors for comment via email.
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