Elon Musk. Oprah Winfrey. Amy Schumer.
While all three individuals are well-known celebrities constantly discussed in TMZ tabloids and Buzzfeed articles, they also share another surprising trait: using Ozempic (Wilson, 2024).
Ozempic’s Functions
Ozempic, the brand-name of the generic drug semaglutide, was originally researched as a long-term treatment for Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM), a disease where one’s blood sugar rises due to the resistance to glucose-sequestering processes. The drug regulates glucose levels by increasing the release of insulin, which increases glucose uptake from the bloodstream into cells.
More recently, the three celebrities above—alongside the general public—have popularized the drug as a medication for weight loss, as the drug can prevent the stomach from emptying, thereby reducing one’s appetite and resulting in less food consumption (Tan, Dampil, and Marquez, 2022).
However, medical professionals, via early clinical studies performed at the University of Oxford, have discovered yet another possible use of the medication: the drug could possibly mitigate symptoms of dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease. (“University of Oxford,” 2024). Alzheimer’s disease—which affects nearly 6 million people in America as of 2023–is caused by a buildup of beta-amyloid proteins in the brain, which result in memory loss, seizures, and neuronal damange (“National Institute on Aging,” 2023, Mattson, 2019). The disease has no cure, although Ozempic’s result on the brain traces a possible path to an eventual, long-term medication.
What Does Insulin Do in the Brain?
Alongside regulating one’s blood-sugar levels, insulin serves a crucial role in our brain by activating growth factors for our neurons, thereby promoting cell survival and preventing cell death. Without insulin, cells can die, which not only results in the loss of basic neuronal functions, but also enables beta-amyloid proteins to build up in the brain.
Ozempic and How it Prevents Alzheimer’s
By stimulating the release of additional insulin, Ozempiccan prevent neuronal death from occurring, thus preventing cognitive impairment and restoring proper neuronal health (Majaptra, Karuppasamy, and Sahoo, 2022).
Furthermore, Ozempic’s insulin-secreting function has been found to improve the efficiency of cellular and neuronal mitochondria by increasing cellular access to glucose. These mechanisms then amplify the speed and performance of cellular processes by ensuring mitochondria are as efficient as possible.
Moreover, Ozempic has been potentially found to prevent neuronal damage by moderating and restricting overstimulation by the neurotransmitter glutamate. Glutamate is the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and ays a crucial role in sending messages between neurons. Normally, glutamate is involved in learning, memory, and other essential brain functions. However, excessive activation of glutamate receptors can lead to toxicity (“Gluatamate”, 2022). Animal and rat studies have indicated that Ozemic may increase or amplify pathways that reduce excessive glutamate release or receptor activation, though the exact mechanisms are still under investigation. Current theories propose that Ozempic can regulate the use of hormones such as glutamate within the brain, preventing them from over-activation and misusage.
The Future of Ozempic
Although these possible neuroprotective effects of Ozempic continue to be studied daily by scientists worldwide, the full scope of the drug’s possible effects on patients with Alzheimer’s remains ambiguous. Beyond the Oxford experiments, there are few clinical studies on Ozempic’s effects on the brain, precluding proper conclusions about how the drug could possibly result in unwanted weight loss or dangerously-lowered glucose levels for those using the therapeutic against Alzheimer’s (Meca, Boboc, and Bogdan, 2024). Despite these potential issues, the current inquiries on the drug illuminates how, by repurposing available medications that have myriad functions, scientists can solve millions of healthcare issues that affect individuals globally.
References
- Glutamate: What it is & function. (2022, April 25). Cleveland Clinic.
- Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford. (2024, July 11). New study finds semaglutide safe for brain health with possible benefits for cognition annicotine dependence.
- Mahapatra, M. K., Karuppasamy, M., & Sahoo, B. M. (2022). Therapeutic Potential of Semaglutide, a Newer GLP-1 Receptor Agonist, in Abating Obesity, Non-Alcoholic
Steatohepatitis and Neurodegenerative diseases: A Narrative Review. Pharmaceutical Research, 39(6), 1233–1248.
- Mattson, M. P. (2019). Excitotoxicity - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
- Meca, A. D., Boboc, I. K. S., Mititelu-Tartau, L., & Bogdan, M. (2024). Unlocking the
Potential: Semaglutide’s Impact on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease in Animal Models.
Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 46(6), 5929–5949.
- National Institute on Aging. (2023, April). Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet
- Tan, H. C., Dampil, O. A., & Marquez, M. M. (2022). Efficacy and Safety of Semaglutide for Weight Loss in Obesity Without Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies, 37(2), 65–72.
- Wilson, E. (2024, March 30). Slimmed down celebs with “Ozempic face” after taking diabetes diet drug. The Mirror.