Weight loss drugs halve the risk of cancer – research
Kyiv • UNN
Weight loss drugs that mimic the hormone GLP-1 are more effective in preventing obesity-related cancer than bariatric surgery.
Weight loss drugs, such as liraglutide and exenatide, are more than 40% more effective in preventing obesity-related cancer.
This is reported by UNN with reference to Eclinicalmedicine.
Details
Obesity is associated with 13 types of cancer, but weight loss reduces this risk. According to scientists' estimates, first-generation weight loss drugs, such as liraglutide and exenatide, have a greater protective effect than simply losing extra pounds.
The drugs work by mimicking the hormone GLP-1 in the body, which lowers blood sugar and allows people to feel full for longer.
Researchers from Israel studied 6,000 adults without cancer who had either undergone bariatric surgery or were taking glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) - liraglutide (Saxenda), exenatide (Byetta) or dulaglutide (Trulicity).
Bariatric surgery reduces the risk of cancer by 30-42%, the researchers noted. At the same time, the authors of the study found that weight loss drugs were more effective in preventing cancer associated with obesity.
The study found that the direct effect of GLP-1, in addition to weight loss, is 41% more effective in preventing obesity-related cancer.
We don't yet fully understand how GLP-1 works, but this study adds to the growing body of evidence that weight loss alone cannot fully explain the metabolic, anti-cancer and many other benefits that these drugs offer,
According to the co-author of the study, Professor Dror Dicker from Hasharon Hospital, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel:
The protective effects of GLP-1RA against obesity-related cancer are likely due to several mechanisms, including reducing inflammation,
A representative of the Rabin Center also believes that newer drugs may prove even more useful.
The new generation of high-potency GLP-1RAs with higher weight loss efficacy may have an even greater advantage in reducing the risk of obesity-related cancer, but further research is needed to ensure that these drugs do not increase the risk of cancer not related to obesity,
Reference
Obesity and diabetes are associated with an increased risk of many types of cancer, called obesity-related cancer, including postmenopausal breast cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, meningioma, renal cell carcinoma, liver or bile duct cancer, pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer, stomach cancer, and multiple myeloma.
First-generation GLP-1 and bariatric surgery are well-established as weight loss treatments. But it was necessary to investigate their effectiveness in preventing cancer associated with obesity.
To learn more, the researchers analyzed data from electronic medical records of patients (aged 24 years and older) with obesity (BMI 35 kg/m2 or more) and type 2 diabetes (no history of cancer) who were treated with first-generation GLP-1 drugs (i.e., purchased liraglutide, exenatide, or dulaglutide at least six times per month for 12 consecutive months) or underwent bariatric surgery between 2010 and 2018.
A total of 6356 participants (61% women; average age 52 years; average BMI 41.5 kg/m²) were matched in a 1:1 ratio based on gender, age, baseline BMI, time to treatment initiation, and smoking status. They were followed until December 2023 for a diagnosis of obesity-related cancer.
During a median follow-up of 7.5 years, 298 patients were diagnosed with obesity-related cancer.
The most common type of cancer was postmenopausal breast cancer (77; 26%), followed by colorectal cancer (49; 16%) and uterine cancer (45; 15%).
The analysis showed the following:
Obesity-related cancer occurred in 150 of 3,178 patients who underwent surgery (5.76 cases per 1,000 person-years) and in 148 of 3,178 patients who took GLP-1 (5.64 cases per 1,000 person-years) - despite the relative benefit of bariatric surgery for weight loss, which is known to reduce the risk of cancer.
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