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By Stephen Beech

Weight loss may also reduce the risk of dementia, suggests a new study.

American researchers found that semaglutide - the and another weight loss medication, Wegovy - may lower the risk of dementia in people with type 2 diabetes.

Scientists say that dementia occurs when brain cells are damaged and their connections stop working properly.

That damage, which worsens over time, can be caused by various modifiable factors, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, traumatic brain injury and stroke.

Previous research has indicated that 45% of dementia cases could be prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors.

The new study suggests patients taking semaglutide had a "significantly lower" risk of developing dementia compared to other antidiabetic medications.

The results were more "profound" in women and older adults, according to the findings published in the .

Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide receptor (GLP-1R) molecule that decreases hunger and helps regulate blood sugar in diabetes, has previously shown several health benefits, including reductions in cardiovascular diseases.

Researchers at , analyzed three years of electronic records of nearly 1.7 million American patients.

The team used a statistical approach that mimics a randomised clinical trial.

They found patients prescribed semaglutide had a "significantly" lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia, compared to those who had taken any of seven other anti-diabetic medications, including other types of GLP-1R-targeting medications.

Study leader Professor Rong Xu said: “There is no cure or effective treatment for dementia, so this new study provides real-world evidence for its potential impact on preventing or slowing dementia development among at-risk populations."

Although the findings potentially support the idea that semaglutide could prevent dementia, Prof Xu says the study’s limitations restrict the team from making firm causal conclusions.

She added: “Our results indicate that research into semaglutide’s use for dementia prevention will need to be further investigated through randomised clinical trials."