In a study published online on June 15 in Hypertension, Gaetano Santulli, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues found that the glucose-lowering diabetes drug empagliflozin (Jardiance) significantly boosts cognitive function and physical impairment in frail elderly patients with diabetes. A total of 325 patients completed the study.

After three months of treatment, the researchers found that, compared to the control group, the empagliflozin-treated patients had significantly better scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and better performances on a test of their gait speed over a distance of 5 meters. On a cellular level, the researchers demonstrated for the first time that empagliflozin had beneficial effects on human blood vessels: It improved the function of blood vessels’ endothelial cells and reduced oxidative stress in endothelial cells by reducing mitochondrial production of free radicals.

Dr. Santulli is an associate professor of medicine and of molecular pharmacology at Einstein.