Weight loss drugs can protect you from breast cancer
What's the story
Weight-loss drugs, especially GLP-1 medications, have shown promising results in reducing the risk of developing and dying from breast cancer. The findings were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in Chicago. The first study, a retrospective analysis of 110,000 women aged between 45 and 80 years, found those who took GLP-1 medications were 30% less likely to develop breast cancer than those who did not.
Drug details
GLP-1 medications and their role in cancer prevention
GLP-1 medications mimic a natural hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, which helps regulate blood sugar and appetite. Initially used for treating type 2 diabetes, they are now widely prescribed for weight management. Dr. Elizabeth McDonald from the University of Pennsylvania presented the study's findings and emphasized that while their research doesn't definitively confirm an association between GLP-1 medications and reduced breast cancer incidence, it adds to evidence suggesting these weight-loss drugs could be potential cancer prevention tools.
Risk factors
Healthy weight can ward off breast cancer
Maintaining a healthy weight has long been recommended as a way to ward off breast cancer. Being overweight or obese, especially after menopause, is a known risk factor for the disease. Researchers have also long suspected that low-grade inflammation may play a role in breast cancer development. GLP-1s reduce systemic inflammation via different pathways and have other metabolic and epigenetic effects that could inhibit tumor growth.
Treatment
What did an Italian study say?
The second study, involving 27,000 breast cancer patients, was led by IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori in Italy. It found that adding weight-loss drugs to standard treatment was associated with a 30% reduced risk of death. The third study, involving 12,000 cancer patients and led by the Cleveland Clinic, found that in lung, breast bowel and liver cancers people who took weight-loss drugs were up to 50% less likely to develop stage-four forms of the disease.