The Popular Weight Loss Drug That May Also Help Prevent Dementia And Manage Asthma Symptoms

Every three seconds, someone in the world develops dementia. According to Alzheimer's Disease International, the number of people living with dementia is expected to double every 20 years. Of course, dementia doesn't happen overnight. It can take years before symptoms of dementia become noticeable, and your health and lifestyle now may influence your chances of developing or delaying the disease.

One of the biggest risk factors for dementia is type 2 diabetes, which is why it's so important to manage the condition through both lifestyle choices and medication. While drugs like metformin have long been used to help control blood sugar, newer options such as GLP-1 agonists such as Ozempic (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) are making headlines for their effect on type 2 diabetes. These drugs not only help manage type 2 diabetes but also promote weight loss, which is why they're increasingly prescribed for controlling obesity. That's significant because obesity in midlife has also been linked to dementia.

Since GLP-1 agonists can control type 2 diabetes and support weight loss, researchers are exploring whether they might also lower the risk of other health issues. For example, the weight loss they produce may help ease asthma symptoms, and their benefits for metabolic health could potentially reduce the risk of dementia as well.

While dementia is often thought of as a brain disease, it might surprise you to learn that type 2 diabetes can raise your risk of developing it. A 2016 article in Diabetes Spectrum offers some possible explanations. In type 2 diabetes, your cells don't respond well to insulin, and your brain cells rely on insulin to regulate neurotransmitters and support learning, memory, and other cognitive functions. Insulin may even boost memory by improving how your brain uses energy and by supporting the pathways needed to form long-term memories. But when cells don't respond well, insulin can build up in the bloodstream, making it harder for it to get into the brain.

By helping control type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 agonists may also help protect the brain from dementia. A 2025 study in BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care found that GLP-1 drugs outperformed metformin in lowering dementia risk. They were especially effective at reducing the risk of Alzheimer's and other non-vascular dementias. In fact, older women with type 2 diabetes who took GLP-1 agonists had an 18% lower risk of these conditions. Researchers think the advantage may come from GLP-1 agonists' ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, where they can help reduce oxidative stress and brain inflammation.

While the link between GLP-1 drugs and a reduced risk of dementia might make a little more sense, their effect on asthma symptoms is less obvious. A 2025 study in Advances in Therapy examined how people taking GLP-1 medications managed their asthma. Compared to those who didn't take GLP-1 drugs, patients on these medications for three years had twice the odds of keeping their asthma under control. They were also less likely to need antibiotics or hospital visits for asthma-related issues. However, GLP-1 drugs did not improve lung function.

In this study, participants were prescribed GLP-1 drugs primarily for obesity. Because weight loss is known to improve asthma symptoms, researchers not involved in the study told Medical News Today that the GLP-1 benefits likely came from losing weight, not from the medication itself. Still, GLP-1 receptors are found in the lungs and immune cells, and these drugs may directly reduce lung inflammation linked to asthma. They also improve glucose control and insulin regulation, which can further reduce inflammation in the airways.