After years of disappointing clinical trial outcomes for new Alzheimer's disease drugs, researchers worldwide are cautiously optimistic about some early-stage results showing that a medication used to treat diabetes is slowing down the effects of Alzheimer's disease in a mouse model. 

In an interview with a north-central Wisconsin TV station, Cynthia Carlsson, MD, MS, associate professor, Geriatrics and Gerontology, explained the implications of recent studies performed in Lancaster University in the UK and elsewhere, while cautioning that they have not been tested for Alzheimer's disease prevention in humans yet. 

Until there is more clarity about whether these medications will work, she urged the importance of healthy lifestyle choices to lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. 

"A lot of the things that are common sense things that help prevent heart disease and cancer probably protect our brain as well," said Dr. Carlsson.

Resources:

• "Battling Alzheimer's," WAOW-TV, February 22, 2018