Weight-loss jabs like Wegovy and Ozempic reduce risk of some of the most common and deadly cancers, study suggests

Revolutionary weight loss injections such as Wegovy and Ozempic reduce the risk of some of the most common and deadly cancers, a major study suggests.

Obese patients taking the drugs, which were originally produced to help people with diabetes, were almost a fifth less likely to develop cancer, including breast, bowel, pancreatic and ovarian cancer.

American researchers also concluded that these patients were half as likely to die within a 15-year period as obese patients who did not take the weekly injections. Experts think this is because the drugs, known as GLP-1 agonists, protect against cancers linked to obesity, such as thyroid, kidney and liver cancer.

After smoking, obesity is thought to be the second most common cause of cancer in Britain and is responsible for around one in 20 new cases each year.

The trial, presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago, is the latest to show that GLP-1 agonists have significant health benefits beyond weight loss.

It was originally developed as a treatment for diabetes, but in recent years has become one of the world’s most sought-after weight-loss drugs, including among celebrities (Stock Image)

Over the past year, research has shown that semaglutide – the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic – reduces the risk of heart failure and kidney failure.

It was originally developed as a treatment for diabetes, but in recent years has become one of the most sought-after weight-loss drugs in the world, with a host of celebrities – including Elon Musk and Boris Johnson – revealing they are using it in an attempt to slim down. down.

Research shows that patients taking semaglutide lose an average of one-fifth of their body weight.

In the past year, an even more effective GLP-1 agonist called tirzepatide has come onto the market.

The new study monitored the health of 273 obese GLP-1 agonist patients for 15 years. Their outcomes were compared with about 400 patients who had weight-loss surgery – also called bariatric surgery – and with 20,000 obese people who received neither.

Although patients taking a GLP-1 agonist did not lose as much weight as those who underwent bariatric surgery, both groups were about 19 percent less likely to develop obesity-related cancers compared to those who received no treatment.

“Weight loss appears to be largely the driving force behind this reduction in cancer rates,” says Dr. Cindy Lin, a sports and exercise medicine expert at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.