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Those taking bone-strengthening pills are 24% less likely to develop dementia, a study of more than 120,000 older adults found. Researchers at the University of Hong Kong combed through health records for more than 120,000 people aged 60 and over who had osteoporosis or a fragile-bone fracture. They compared people who took a common class of bone drugs called bisphosphonates, such as alendronate and zoledronate, with people who took other osteoporosis drugs or none at all. users were 16% less likely to develop Alzheimer's and related dementias than untreated patients, and 24% less likely than people on other bone drugs. The results held up across several checks, and the study was published in Alzheimer's & Dementia. Bisphosphonates are cheap, decades old and already taken by millions of people with weak bones, so if the link holds up, they could offer a double benefit for a group already at high risk of dementia. The team estimates that treating about 48 people for five years would mean one fewer dementia case. Still, this is an observational study, so it shows a link rather than proof that the drugs protect the brain, and things the records didn't capture, like education, could play a part. Also, it was published in 2025 and drew on patients from Hong Kong only. But it's a strong lead, and the researchers are calling for clinical trials to test it directly. source: Sing, C.-W., Chan, K.-H., Chiu, P. K.-C., Lau, W. C.-Y., Zhang, X., Tan, K. C.-B., & Cheung, C.-L. (2025). Bisphosphonates and the risk of dementia in patients with osteoporosis or fragility fracture: A population-based study in Hong Kong. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 21(7), e70503.