Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes May Reduce Depressive Symptoms in Some Adults

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists —a common treatment for type 2 diabetes—may also help to reduce depressive symptoms in adults, suggests ameta-analysis published inThe American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.People with diabetes are known to be at greater risk of depression than those without the disease, wrote co-author Lixin Guo, M.D., of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and colleagues. Though GLP-1 is a hormone produced in the gut that is released in response to food, GLP receptors are also present in the brain. Animal studies have suggested that activation of these receptors may produce antidepressant effects.To examine the relationship between GLP-1 receptor agonists and depressive symptoms, Guo and colleagues searched electronic literature databases for studies that measured depressive symptoms in adults before and after administration of GLP-1 receptor agonists or a control treatment. They searched Cochrane Library, PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry, among others.Guo and colleagues narrowed in on six studies for the meta-analysis, including 2,071 participants (average age: 58 years). All but one of these studies included patients with type 2 diabetes (the other included patients with moderate Parkinson ’s disease) who were given either GLP-1 receptor agonists (exenatide or liraglutide) or the control treatment (placebo, insulin, or glimepiride). Each study lasted between 24 an...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: antidepressant effects depression diabetes GLP-1 GLP-1 receptor agonist Parkinson ' s disease The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Source Type: research