Ozempic is part of a class of weight-loss drugs known as GLP-1 agonists that were originally developed to treat diabetes and have now been found to also reduce the risk of developing certain obesity-related cancers, according to a study just published in the journal JAMA Network.
The research was carried out by scientists from the Faculty of Medicine at Cleveland University (Ohio, United States), who explain in their article that 13 human malignancies have been identified as obesity-associated cancers (OACs), meaning that excess body fat is linked to a higher risk of developing cancer and a worse prognosis in patients with these specific tumors.
Researchers compared patients with type 2 diabetes who were treated with insulin to patients who received a class of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists, such as Ozempic, between 2005 and 2018 and found that patients who received GLP-1 agonists had a significantly lower risk of developing 10 of the 13 cancers studied, including kidney, pancreatic, esophageal, ovarian, liver and colorectal cancer. Among them, cancers that did not experience significant changes in risk were thyroid cancer and breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
Protective effects of GLP-1 weight loss drugs against cancer
“It is well known that obesity is associated with at least 13 types of cancer,” Rong Xu, the study’s author, told AFP in an email. “Our study provides evidence that GLP-1RAs are promising in breaking the link between obesity and cancer.”
Among the drugs studied was semaglutide, which is marketed under the name Ozempic, as well as liraglutide and others. GLP-1 agonists have been around for about 20 years, but a new generation of these drugs, including Ozempic, has gained popularity because it has been shown to promote more significant weight loss.
Patients who received GLP-1 agonists had a significantly lower risk of developing 10 of the 13 cancers studied, including kidney, pancreatic, esophageal, ovarian, liver, and colorectal cancer.
GLP-1RAs were associated with lower risks of specific types of obesity-associated cancers compared with insulin or metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes, the authors note in their paper. Their findings provide preliminary evidence of the potential benefit of GLP-1RAs for cancer prevention in high-risk populations and support further preclinical and clinical studies for the prevention of certain CAOs, they add.
Rong Xu also suggested that the protective benefits of these drugs looked at in the study may encourage doctors to prescribe GLP-1 treatments to patients with diabetes, instead of other drugs such as insulin.
