Diabetes drugs may protect against Parkinson’s
Scientists published a new study that says patients with diabetes, who were treated with glitazone had a 28% reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Glitazone are so called “peroxisome proliferation-activated receptor gamma (PPARɣ) agonists”. A very complicated name that describes the way these drugs work. It has been suggested before that the same mechanism could have a neuroprotective effect in Parkinson’s disease.
But and it’s a big BUT, Glitazone drugs had to be taken off the marked because of severe side effects.
So, what does this mean for the new findings? Most likely Glitazone will never be used to in the treatment of Parkinson’s but it could show a mechanism that influences the progression of Parkinsons. In the future research has to develop drugs using the same mechanism but without the feared side effects.