Weight loss drugs may cut cancer risk by 50% according to ‘transformational’ new study

Another win for the jab.

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have been linked to a host of benefits beyond diabetes management and weight loss, from reduced dementia risk to addiction treatment.

Now new research out of Israel has found that it can substantially reduce the risk of obesity-related cancers — and it’s more effective than getting weight loss surgery.

A new study found that GLP-1 drugs significantly reduce cancer risk associated with obesity — even more so than getting weight loss surgery. REUTERS

Published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine, the study looked at thousands of people with obesity and diabetes who were on GLP-1 drugs including liraglutide (Saxenda), exenatide (Byetta) and dulaglutide (Trulicity).

Semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Zepbound) were not included in the study.

Obesity is associated with 13 cancers, and losing weight can slash that risk. But the researchers found that the impact these drugs have on cancer development is greater than just aiding weight loss.

That’s because they compared weight loss drug users to those who got bariatric surgery to lose weight — and their results determined that the drugs are “41% more effective at preventing obesity-related cancer,” according to Dr. Yael Wolff Sagy of Clalit Health Services in Tel-Aviv, Israel, co-lead author of the study.

“We do not yet fully understand how GLP-1s work, but this study adds to the growing evidence showing that weight loss alone cannot completely account for the metabolic, anti-cancer, and many other benefits that these medications provide,” she said.

“The protective effects of GLP-1RAs against obesity-related cancers likely arise from multiple mechanisms, including reducing inflammation,” added co-lead author Dr. Dror Dicker from Hasharon Hospital, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel.

Obesity is linked to 13 types of cancer, including breast, prostate, uterus, pancreas, colon, kidney and liver. Kawee – stock.adobe.com

The new study could mean groundbreaking changes for cancer prevention, according to Prof. Mark Lawler, a cancer research expert at Queen’s University Belfast who was not involved with the study.

“We already know bariatric surgery cuts obesity-related cancer risk by about a third; these data suggest target GLP-1s may cut that risk by nearly 50% — an approach that would be transformational in preventing obesity-related cancer,” he told The Guardian.

“This work could herald a whole new era of preventive cancer medicine.”

Doctors previously identified GLP-1 drugs as a helpful tool for weight loss in order to prevent obesity-related cancers, though until now the reduced risk was thought to be entirely because of weight changes.

Obesity is linked to 13 types of cancer, including breast, prostate, uterus, pancreas, colon, kidney and liver.

A study published last year found that people on GLP-1 drugs reduced their risk of10 of the 13 obesity-associated cancers.

“These drugs promote substantial weight loss, reducing obesity-related cancer risks,” said lead author Lindsey Wang, a medical student and research scholar at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. “They also enhance insulin sensitivity and lower insulin levels, decreasing cancer cell growth signals.”