NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Denise Vann with the Alzheimer's Association talked to Hutch Post about some great early signs for Alzheimer's treatment released at an international conference in recent weeks.
"What they've found out is there's a drug, Ozempic, is often used for diabetes and it also can help with heart disease, the risk of heart disease, but they're finding it can also protect the brain," Vann said. "That's super exciting because in this world, I mean, a lot of people do take that med, so how great would that be?"
The specific finding is that GLP-1 drug liraglutide may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s: Phase 2b results suggest the drug may slow cognitive decline by as much as 18% in one year, prompting the lead researcher to note that it could protect the brain, much like statins protect the heart. In addition, testing for Alzheimer's is also advancing.
"They're talking about blood tests that are 90 percent accurate, which is going to cut down on the time that people have to wait for, you know, getting their self in with a neurologist or trying to do those tests," Vann said. "It's going to cut that down and it's 90 percent accurate in identifying patients with cognitive symptoms at a primary care and specialized memory care clinic. "
Once they are confirmed, blood tests could improve the accuracy of, and access to, diagnosis in primary care and specialist centers and enhance recruitment for Alzheimer’s clinical trials and also slash wait times for Alzheimer’s disease assessment and treatment. Further, there are diet changes that can reduce dementia risk, too.
"Replacing one serving of processed red meat every day with one serving of nuts can lower the risk of dementia by 20%," Vann said. "Examples of processed red meat include bacon, hot dogs, and sausage. So rather, rather than eating that kind of stuff, maybe chicken, rather than cooking with vegetable oil, we cook with olive oil. There are simple ways that we can adjust our diet to kind of make it a heart healthy, you know, cause we do say what's good for your heart is always good for your brain."
If you'd like more information on how to reduce your risk and how to help those with Alzheimer's combat the disease, go to https://www.alz.org/.