Scientists stumble upon treatment for Alzheimer's disease while testing Type 2 diabetes drug

According to Medical News Today, scientists in China and the United Kingdom stumbled upon a "triple-action" drug that reverses memory loss and brain damage caused by Alzheimer's disease when tested on mice. The discovery came about when researchers began testing a new drug for type 2 diabetes.

Medical News Today writes, "The drug that Prof. Hölscher and his group tested in the new study is a 'triple receptor agonist' that activates the proteins that allow signals from three growth factors — called glucagon-like peptide-1, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, and glucagon — to enter cells.

Previous studies have revealed that type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for Alzheimer's, and problems with growth factor signaling have been detected in the brains of people with the disease. The new study is the first to show that a triple receptor agonist may protect the brain from the progressive brain damage that occurs in Alzheimer's disease."

Pat was elated to hear this latest medical breakthrough that affects approximately 5 million people each year.

Read the rest of the scoop here.