- A new study suggests that weight loss injections, specifically Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1) drugs like Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic, may significantly reduce the risk of obesity-associated cancers.
- US experts examined data from over 161,000 obese, non-diabetic patients, finding that those who used GLP-1 medications had a 41 per cent lower incidence of obesity-related cancers over a two-year follow-up period compared to a control group.
- The research, published in the Annals of Oncology, indicated even larger reductions in certain subgroups, including a nearly 70 per cent decrease in cancer risk for men and a 58% reduction in endometrial cancer incidence.
- A notable finding was that the reduction in obesity-related cancer risk was not observed among Black patients, prompting experts to suggest further investigation into potential causes such as access to care or biological differences.
- Study authors Dr Aparna Kamat and Professor Pedro Ramirez stressed that while the findings do not prove causation, they provide compelling early evidence that GLP-1 drugs warrant serious investigation as potential cancer prevention agents in future long-term clinical trials.
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