Innovative weight-loss injections could help prevent up to 10 types of cancer, research suggests.
Wegovy, Ozempic and other fat-melting injections have ushered in a new era in the war on obesity, but they have also been linked to other health benefits, such as reduced risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney disease.
Now experts have found that the drugs may also reduce the risk of a range of weight-related cancers, including hard-to-diagnose types such as pancreatic, kidney and ovarian cancers.
US scientists who carried out the trial said the findings show “potential benefits” of the drugs in people at higher risk of the diseases.
However, they cautioned that further research is needed to confirm their findings.
Wegovy, Ozempic and other fat-melting injections have ushered in a new era in the fight against obesity. Now, experts have discovered that these drugs may have other medical benefits, such as reducing the risk of pancreatic, kidney and even ovarian cancer.
The researchers did not speculate on why the drugs, which belong to a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists, might reduce a patient’s chances of developing cancer.
For the study, researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio followed more than 1.6 million patients with type 2 diabetes, average age 60, from 2005 to 2018.
Over a 15-year follow-up, they compared cancer risk among patients taking GLP-1 agonists versus those taking insulin, as well as another GLP-1 cohort with a group taking metformin, another diabetes drug.
The 13 cancers evaluated, all related to obesity, included esophageal, breast, colorectal, endometrial, gallbladder and stomach.
Other cancers examined include kidney, ovarian, pancreatic, thyroid, hepatocellular carcinoma, meningioma and multiple myeloma.
Writing in the diary, JAMA Network OpenThe scientists said: “Compared with insulins, GLP-1s were associated with a significantly lower risk of 10 of the 13 obesity-associated cancers.”
Those taking insulin were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with pancreatic, colorectal, gallbladder and meningioma cancers compared, they added.
The other six were cancers of the esophagus, endometrium, stomach, kidney, ovary and multiple myeloma.
The largest reduction was seen in gallbladder cancer: patients treated with GLP-1 agonists were 65 percent less likely to develop the disease than patients treated with insulin.
Other significant reductions were seen in pancreatic cancer (59 percent), ovarian cancer (48 percent), and colorectal cancer (46 percent).
However, the results for thyroid cancer showed “no statistically different risk.”
Research in mice and rats has suggested that vaccines such as Ozempic and Wegovy, which work by mimicking hormones, may increase the risk of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC).
“The findings of our study, together with previous reports of insulins promoting cancer growth, suggest that GLP-1s may be associated with an increased risk of thyroid cancer,” the scientists said.
The risk was also lower for seven types of cancer among those taking GLP-1 agonists compared with metformin.
Wegovy and Ozempic work by stimulating the body to produce a hormone called GLP-1 that is naturally released from the intestines after meals.
These included the pancreas, ovaries, stomach, and gallbladder.
Meanwhile, kidney cancers showed an increased risk with GLP-1 treatment compared to metformin, but a decreased risk with insulin.
Similarly, “no signs of increased risk” of breast cancer were found in GLP-1 agonists compared to those treated with insulin or metformin.
However, the researchers acknowledged that the study had “several limitations,” including not controlling for variables such as patient weight loss, which could have influenced obesity-related cancer risk.
But they added: “Since type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity have negative impacts on patients during cancer therapy, GLP-1s should be evaluated for the management of these comorbid conditions during cancer therapy, as well as for secondary prevention to delay cancer recurrence.”
The injections have been shown to help users lose up to 33 pounds (15.3 kg) on average over 68 weeks.
They work by tricking the brain into thinking it is full, thereby reducing appetite and helping people lose weight as a result.
Semaglutide, better known as Ozempic, has been available on the NHS since 2019 and in the US since 2017 for type 2 diabetics. control blood sugar levels.
Another drug, semaglutide, was also approved in Britain for weight loss in 2022, and in the United States in 2021, under the brand name Wegovy.
Tirzepatide, under the brand name Mounjaro, was given the green light earlier this year in the UK and in 2022 in the US, for the same reason.
The revolutionary hormone injections have been hailed by celebrities including Elon Musk and Jeremy Clarkson.
British ministers plan to give the drug to millions of overweight Britons to cut the country’s bloated welfare bill. Children could eventually be vaccinated too.
Prescriptions for Ozempic and similar weight-loss drugs have also skyrocketed in the United States, with 39 million people (or 12 percent of the population) believed to have used them.
Like any medicine, semaglutide can cause side effects that vary in frequency and severity. Reported problems include nausea, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, stomach pain, headaches, and dizziness.
Strange symptoms, such as hair loss, have also been reported in some patients.
The latest National Health Service data show that 26 percent of adults in England are obese and a further 38 percent are overweight but not obese. In the United States, an estimated 41.9 percent of the adult population is obese.
Although hormone-mimicking injections are designed to help overweight patients become healthier, there has also been growing concern about the number of normal-weight and underweight patients taking them for cosmetic reasons.
Some have even needed emergency room care after receiving vaccines in an attempt to get a “beach-ready” body.
Young women in particular are believed to be obtaining the drug through online pharmacies, which offer it for between £150 and £200 ($200-$250) a month, after providing false information about their appearance and health.
In some cases, people who get vaccinated without a legitimate medical reason are thought to be doing so as a result of their eating disorders.