Primarily prescribed for type 2 diabetes and weight loss, medications like Ozempic and Zepbound are also showing promise in treating a range of other conditions, from sleep apnea to chronic kidney disease.

Now, a new study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that for people with obesity and type 2 diabetes, these drugs—known as GLP-1 receptor agonists—may also reduce the risk of death and lower the chances of developing two brain-related conditions: dementia and ischemic stroke. Type 2 diabetes and obesity are “major drivers” of these conditions, said the study’s first author, Huan-Tang Lin, MD, PhD, an attending physician and associate professor of anesthesiology at Chang Gung College of Medicine in Taiwan. “This extends [GLP-1s’] therapeutic scope from glycemic control, weight loss, and cardiovascular control to direct neuro- and cerebrovascular protection,” Lin told Health.

Researchers have previously found that GLP-1s may help protect against dementia and stroke. But according to the authors of the study, “large-scale clinical studies evaluating their association with neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular outcomes remain limited, particularly in high-risk patients with both type 2 diabetes and obesity.”

To help fill the gap, researchers examined seven years’ worth of health data from more than 60,000 participants, all of whom had type 2 diabetes and obesity.  Some participants were taking diabetes drugs like biguanides (such as metformin), sulfonylureas, and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors.456 Others were prescribed the GLP-1s semaglutide or tirzepatide. (Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus; tirzepatide is used in Mounjaro and Zepbound.)

After analyzing associations between the medications and various brain-related conditions, the scientists discovered that participants taking a GLP-1 had a: 37% lower risk of dementia; 19% lower risk of ischemic stroke (the most common type, caused by a blocked blood vessel supplying the brain); 30% lower risk of death from any cause.

The protective effect against dementia was especially pronounced in women over 60 and those with a BMI between 30 and 40. “Patients in this window have an especially powerful opportunity to bolster brain health,” said Meghan Garcia-Webb, MD, a triple-board-certified physician in internal medicine, lifestyle medicine, and obesity medicine in Massachusetts.