Semaglutide linked to lower predicted dementia risk • Hacker News Board

Re: Semaglutide linked to lower predicted dementia risk

#101

Post by llm_nerd » Sat, Aug 15, 2026, 6:55 PM UTC

dev_l1x_be wrote: post #83

bariswheel wrote: post #48

tdlr: This is a Novo Nordisk-funded study focusing on predictive biomarkers rather than real-world dementia cases. Novo Nordisk's actual dedicated clinical trials for Alzheimer's completely failed to show that semaglutide stops cognitive decline. "A predictive biomarker is like a "check engine" light on your dashboard. It warns you that there is a risk of a future problem. In this study, the researchers only checked…

Not only that but high intakes of added sugars and fast-acting, high-glycemic carbohydrates are linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Excess simple sugars, particularly fructose and sucrose, promote insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and vascular damage that impair brain function and accelerate neurodegeneration. So with other words, you diet is a major contributing factor here. The me…

Fructose is blood sugar invisible, and plays no part in this conversation. Fructose can cause fatty liver and has been attributed with lots of voodoo, but the weird fructose focus of some is not evidence based. It's nonsense.

"The medical establishment and big pharma simple ignores the fact "

Do you really think the "medical establishment" hasn't been *screaming* about poor diets for decades? The fact that people ignored them doesn't give you an opening to suddenly spout horseshit. And big pharma has had an enormous focus on blood sugar for decades, and you're here yipping like they just want to sell you boner pills. What bizarre world is this?

> the "modern" high sugar diet that Kellogs introduced in the US and spread to the western world (even to Asia at some extent).

Kellogg? Did you know that white rice has a glycemic index significantly higher than table sugar (because, as previously mentioned, fructose is not a blood sugar)?

Yeah, a lot of people have bad diets, but infinitely more pressing is sedentary lifestyles. The reason Asia gets away with a rice-heavy diet (which is almost pure glucose, in a very simple form), though this is turning the wrong way, was busy, active lifestyles. The biological reality is that eating a big bowl of frosted flakes is perfectly fine if you follow it up with high amounts of activity.

Glucose is quite literally fuel for your body. And it's fine if you're actually using that fuel, but becomes a problem when often the overweight (and insulin resistant) and sedentary flood their blood with glucose, with nowhere for it to go.

Re: Semaglutide linked to lower predicted dementia risk

#102

Post by toast0 » Sat, Aug 15, 2026, 6:55 PM UTC

rogerrogerr wrote: post #73

TheBlight wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Didn't even bother looking into it because there's obviously not enough data yet to say anything substantial about GLP-1s and Alzheimers. But your comment should probably be the top.

I’m not an expert on this, but haven’t GLP-1’s been used for quite a while on more limited scopes? So maybe there’s a cohort of people that could approach statistical significance.

IIRC, mostly used to help with type 2 diabetes... But effects on that cohort may not generalize to the general population.

Re: Semaglutide linked to lower predicted dementia risk

#103

Post by brokensegue » Sat, Aug 15, 2026, 6:56 PM UTC

to11mtm wrote: post #97

hattmall wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Treat junk food like cigarettes

And have a real conversation around Corn syrup. Even today, a Soda with 'real sugar', at least for me, is far more satiating for thirst or a 'quick sweet treat' than the same brand/'flavor' using corn syrup, that includes both the big chains as well as the local names. If I drink a soda with sugar in it, I usually wind up wanting water after. If I drink something with corn syrup, I usually just want more of whatever…

Is there evidence supporting the idea that sugar is more satiating? My understanding was that they were equally unhealthy

Re: Semaglutide linked to lower predicted dementia risk

#104

Post by lotsofpulp » Sat, Aug 15, 2026, 6:59 PM UTC

kwanbix wrote: post #52

londons_explore wrote: post #23

So has anyone managed to separate the effects of semaglutide from the effects of weight loss? If this is caused by the weight loss, it is a little disappointing that public health didn't act quicker - lots of people have been overweight for a century now, so literally 10's of millions of people could have been saved from dementia had action been taken 100 years ago.

Well, if you consider that is much cheaper to eat trash than healthy, and that food companies' only interest is in maximizing profit, you have what we have.

This is not true. Legumes/dairy/spices/vegetables are cheaper than boxed foods.

Only question is do you want to spend 1 hour making it and cleaning up.

Re: Semaglutide linked to lower predicted dementia risk

#105

Post by brookst » Sat, Aug 15, 2026, 6:59 PM UTC

ChuckMcM wrote: post #89

bariswheel wrote: post #48

tdlr: This is a Novo Nordisk-funded study focusing on predictive biomarkers rather than real-world dementia cases. Novo Nordisk's actual dedicated clinical trials for Alzheimer's completely failed to show that semaglutide stops cognitive decline. "A predictive biomarker is like a "check engine" light on your dashboard. It warns you that there is a risk of a future problem. In this study, the researchers only checked…

Which sort of affirms the mantra, "If you can't prove causation, try to prove correlation." This because you can market correlation to unsophisticated readers and imply causation.

Or, less conspiratorially, if correlation can be proven and causation is plausible but unproven, there may be benefits.

Proving correlation but not causation does NOT rule out causation.

Re: Semaglutide linked to lower predicted dementia risk

#106

Post by object-a » Sat, Aug 15, 2026, 7:01 PM UTC

hattmall wrote: post #42

object-a wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What should public health have done differently?

Treat junk food like cigarettes

What is junk food? For example — are cheeseburgers and French fries junk food? What about when you make them at home, or at a fancy restaurant without artificial ingredients? Is it certain additives? If McDonalds makes a happy meal without additives, is it no longer junk food?

What does treat them like cigarettes mean? Tax them? Ban them within 15 feet of a building entrance? Put warning labels? Is giving or selling French fries to children a crime? Does this apply to food made at home?

Re: Semaglutide linked to lower predicted dementia risk

#107

Post by Aurornis » Sat, Aug 15, 2026, 7:02 PM UTC

dev_l1x_be wrote: post #83

bariswheel wrote: post #48

tdlr: This is a Novo Nordisk-funded study focusing on predictive biomarkers rather than real-world dementia cases. Novo Nordisk's actual dedicated clinical trials for Alzheimer's completely failed to show that semaglutide stops cognitive decline. "A predictive biomarker is like a "check engine" light on your dashboard. It warns you that there is a risk of a future problem. In this study, the researchers only checked…

Not only that but high intakes of added sugars and fast-acting, high-glycemic carbohydrates are linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Excess simple sugars, particularly fructose and sucrose, promote insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and vascular damage that impair brain function and accelerate neurodegeneration. So with other words, you diet is a major contributing factor here. The me…

> The medical establishment and big pharma simple ignores the fact that the biggest health risk for a human being is the "modern" high sugar diet

The medical establishment isn’t ignoring this at all. They’ve been pushing for healthier diets forever. Primary doctors have always been pushing for healthy eating.

That doesn’t mean patients welcome the advice or follow it. Everyone knows that eating high sugar diets and being overweight is unhealthy.

There was some short-live resistance to the idea that being overweight was unhealthy, but that wasn’t coming from the medical establishment. That was an anti-science, anti-medicine movement that went mainstream under a misplaced desire to not make anyone feel bad in any way. That movement has lost steam quickly as an easier option has appeared for reducing appetite and inducing weight loss.

I don’t understand how you’re trying to twist this into a claim that big pharma is ignoring the impact of unhealthy eating. GLP-1 drugs work by reducing unhealthy overeating and cravings for unhealthy foods.

Re: Semaglutide linked to lower predicted dementia risk

#108

Post by llm_nerd » Sat, Aug 15, 2026, 7:03 PM UTC

to11mtm wrote: post #97

hattmall wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Treat junk food like cigarettes

And have a real conversation around Corn syrup. Even today, a Soda with 'real sugar', at least for me, is far more satiating for thirst or a 'quick sweet treat' than the same brand/'flavor' using corn syrup, that includes both the big chains as well as the local names. If I drink a soda with sugar in it, I usually wind up wanting water after. If I drink something with corn syrup, I usually just want more of whatever…

Real sugar in your soda pop? What are you, a health nut? Must be a real my body is a temple sort.

Seriously though, it's a dogshit thing to consume whether it is sweetened with HFCS or sucrose.

"Even today, a Soda with 'real sugar', at least for me, is far more satiating"

Did you know that in the acidic environment of a cola, sucrose quickly degrades into fructose and glucose (and if it didn't, your enzymes literally immediately crack sucrose into them). You know, exactly the same fructose and glucose that would be added by HFCS. The proportions differ a tiny amount, but this notion that one is satiating and the other isn't should really send you down a path of self-discovery, where you determine how you fell for nonsense.

Re: Semaglutide linked to lower predicted dementia risk

#109

Post by mpalczewski » Sat, Aug 15, 2026, 7:04 PM UTC

hattmall wrote: post #42

object-a wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What should public health have done differently?

Treat junk food like cigarettes

this is exactly right. We've got this society that readily accepts unpleasantness as what you need to do to get ahead(I'll question that but it's beside the point). People regularly accept suffering of all sorts. However, ask someone to eat a boring meal. that's a hard no. So, you've got large parts of society that won't accept that perhaps they shouldn't eat like children.

Re: Semaglutide linked to lower predicted dementia risk

#110

Post by throwaway82931 » Sat, Aug 15, 2026, 7:04 PM UTC

londons_explore wrote: post #23

So has anyone managed to separate the effects of semaglutide from the effects of weight loss? If this is caused by the weight loss, it is a little disappointing that public health didn't act quicker - lots of people have been overweight for a century now, so literally 10's of millions of people could have been saved from dementia had action been taken 100 years ago.

All my immediate family members are obese. I'm not (BMI 24.5, borderline overweight at the high end of normal, highest lifetime BMI was 29.5), but that's through strenuous, exhausting effort over decades. I also exercise regularly, though I've learned over time how disconnected exercise is from weight management.

At my weight, I'm not a candidate for going on a GLP-1. I'm sure I could find an unethical doctor to prescribe it if I looked hard enough, but I don't want to have the downsides hidden from me.

My weight has been steadily ratcheting up over the years, since I don't have as much room in my life as I used to for living with the discomfort of caloric deficit. If that continues, I will probably become a candidate for GLP-1s, like my immediate family members, just after a decade or so of possibly unneeded striving.

Lots of people are in situations far worse than mine, so I don't feel unlucky — but it would be nice if there were a clearer path forward. While lowering risk for Alzheimer's is not a priority for me, other effects of GLP-1s sound extremely enticing — especially reports of reduced food craving.