Diabetes Drug Cuts Alzheimer’s Risk

Previous studies have suggested that people given pioglitazone for type 2 diabetes were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. German researchers tracked a database of about 146,000 patients age 60 and older who initially did not have evidence of dementia. They speculated that pioglitazone helped prevent Alzheimer’s by reducing inflammation in the brain and nervous system, although other effects of the drug might also be at play. 13,841 subjects eventually developed dementia, but for those taking pioglitazone the risk of dementia was significantly reduced with each additional three months the drug was prescribed. Presented at the annual meeting of the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Copenhagen