For African Americans with type 2 diabetes, the glucose-lowering drug metformin may also cut the risk for dementia. The finding comes from a study of 63,202 white people and 10,559 African Americans ages 50 and older who received care from the Veterans Health Administration. The participants, who were mostly male, used at least one medication to treat type 2 diabetes during 2000–2015. Among black patients, the risk for developing dementia was 27 percent lower for those taking metformin than for those using a sulfonylurea. The greatest effect (a 40 percent reduction) was seen in black (but not white) participants between the ages of 50 and 64, though a link between metformin use and lower dementia risk appeared in both black and white people ages 65 to 74. Metformin use wasn’t associated with a reduced dementia risk in people of either race who were age 75 or older. While this study shows an association, it does not prove that taking metformin caused the reduced dementia risk.
Source: Annals of Family Medicine, published online July 10, 2019
Source: Annals of Family Medicine, published online July 10, 2019
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