OZEMPIC-like drugs may reduce risk of one of deadliest types of cancers rising in young people, study finds

Drugs such as Ozempic can prevent the rise of deadly cancer among young people, according to a major study.

Researchers looked at the medical records of more than 1.2 million Americans with type 2 diabetes, who were between x and y old over a period of x years.

They found that people taking GLP-1 receptor agonists, the family to which Ozempic and Wegovy belong, had a 44 percent lower risk of developing colorectal cancer compared with diabetics treated with insulin.

The drugs' protective effects were evident in people with and without obesity, in what doctors say is a “critically important” discovery.

The number of colorectal cancers among young people is expected to double by 2030 and although the cause is not known for certain, doctors are increasingly pointing the finger at the country's high obesity rate (about four in ten adults are obese) and the bad dietary habits.

The dual benefit of keeping the patient's weight down and preventing insulin resistance would protect against tumor formation.

Dr. Nathan Berger, co-leader of the study and professor of experimental medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, said: 'The research is critical to reducing the incidence of CRC (colorectal cancer) in patients with diabetes, whether overweight or not. . and obesity.

'Our results clearly demonstrate that GLP-1 (receptor agonists) are significantly more effective than popular antidiabetic drugs, such as metformin or insulin, in preventing the development of CRC.'

The researchers looked at more than 1.2 million people with diabetes.

They relied on a massive database of electronic health records to conduct a study that matched as many people as possible with the same characteristics – gender, race, age, socioeconomic status and other medical conditions – to accurately identify new diabetes drugs in the same class to be able to compare. Ozempic with traditional diabetes treatments.

Among more than 22,500 diabetics treated with insulin, there were 167 cases of CRC.

Meanwhile, among the same size population treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists, there were 94 cases, representing a reduction of almost 44 percent.

In a similar comparison of more than 18,500 patients with diabetes treated with Metformin, compared to the same number of patients with diabetes treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists, there was a 25 percent reduction in CRC.

The rest of the approximately 1 million participants were taking various diabetes medications.

Dr. Rong Xu, professor at the School of Medicine, said: “To our knowledge” this is the first indication that this popular class of weight loss and diabetes drugs reduces the incidence of colorectal cancer compared to other antidiabetic drugs. '

Their research was published in the journal JAMA Oncology.

People who are obese, or people with a body mass index above 30, are 1.3 times more likely to develop colorectal cancer compared to those without.

CRC is typically seen in older adults over 50, but a growing number of people as young as their 20s are being diagnosed.

Based on data from JAMA Surgery, colon cancer will increase by 90 percent between 2010 and 2030 in people ages 20 to 34. Rectal cancer will have increased by 124 percent in the same age group.

Evan White, 24, of Dallas, had just graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in finance when he was diagnosed with colon cancer after ignoring his main symptom — fatigue — for months.

The tumor was not noticed until it had reached stage three, meaning it had spread beyond the colon, making it much more difficult to treat. Mr. White was on track to marry his girlfriend and move to California, but his dreams were cut short when he died after a four-year battle with the disease.

And for those lucky enough to catch the cancer before it becomes terminal, their world is torn apart in other ways. Marisa Maddox, a paralegal, was robbed of the chance at the large family she had always hoped for after a colon cancer diagnosis at age 29 left her infertile.

The Delaware native, now 38, had given birth to her son Luke just weeks before her devastating stage three cancer diagnosis, when she was told the tumor had spread to her lymph nodes.

But the harsh effects of the radiation therapy caused so much damage to her ovaries that she was unable to have any more children, ending Maddox and her lawyer husband Robert's dream of having a large family.

It is believed that obesity causes the body to become resistant to processing glucose and therefore insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. But high levels of insulin have been shown to promote the growth of cancer cells.

Obesity can also lead to an imbalance in the gut microbiome, causing a disruption in the process of nutrient absorption in the body, which may be linked to the development of CRC.

At the same time, excess fat can lead to chronic inflammation in body tissues, increasing the risk of inflammatory diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. These chronic inflammations also promote the growth of tumor cells.

GLP-1 agonists, initially approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes but popularized for their weight-reduction effects, address all those risk factors, including insulin sensitivity and inflammation that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Wegovy and Ozempic specifically promote weight loss by mimicking the action of GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone in the brain that regulates appetite and feelings of satiety.

This hormone inhibits hunger and slows the rate at which a person's stomach empties, helping a person feel full longer.

GLP-1 agonists may also reduce the brain's response to rewarding stimuli, including delicious food and possibly other substances such as alcohol and nicotine.