GLP-1 lowers chance of cancer

We really like the GLP-1 weight loss theme for a few reasons. Who doesn't want to lose a bit of weight? There is also the added benefit that health insurance companies are willing to pay for these treatments, to cover a growing list of ailments. It makes sense; reducing obesity will reduce obesity-linked health problems.

Last week, new research found that people on GLP-1 drugs had a lower chance of getting certain cancers. I was skeptical of the finding at first because finding a link between a drug and cancer requires a large patient sample size and a long time period. The research was based on an analysis of the electronic healthcare records of roughly 1.7 million patients with type 2 diabetes who were prescribed a GLP-1 drug, metformin or insulin between 2005 and 2018.

GLP-1 drugs have been around since 2005 as a treatment for diabetes. It is only recently that they have been repurposed for weight loss. It means that we have 20 years of data to work with, particularly when looking at long-term side effects.

There are ten obesity-associated cancers that GLP-1s were found to reduce the risk of getting. They are esophageal, colorectal, endometrial, gallbladder, kidney, liver, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer, as well as meningioma and multiple myeloma. You can read the research results here - Obesity-Associated Cancers in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

I didn't know that obesity was linked to certain types of cancers. It is great news that society has a drug that can help reduce mortality rates related to the disease.

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