By Emily Stearn, Mailonline health reporter
16:00 05 Jul 2024, updated 16:18 05 Jul 2024
Revolutionary weight loss vaccines could help prevent up to 10 types of cancer, research suggests.
Wegovy, Ozempic and other fat-melting injections have ushered in a new era in the war on obesity, but have also been linked to other health benefits, such as reduced risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney disease.
Experts have now found that these drugs may also reduce the risk of a range of weight-related cancers, including hard-to-diagnose cancers such as pancreatic, kidney and ovarian.
US scientists who led the trial said the results demonstrate “potential benefits” of the drugs in people at higher risk of the diseases.
They cautioned, however, that further research was needed to confirm their findings.
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The researchers did not speculate on why these drugs, which belong to a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists, might reduce a patient’s risk of cancer.
For the study, researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio followed more than 1.6 million patients with type 2 diabetes, with an average age of 60, between 2005 and 2018.
Over a 15-year follow-up, they compared the risk of cancer in patients taking GLP-1 agonists with those taking insulin, as well as another GLP-1 cohort with a group taking metformin, another diabetes drug.
The 13 cancers evaluated, all linked to obesity, included esophageal, breast, colorectal, endometrial, gallbladder and stomach.
Other cancers examined included kidney, ovarian, pancreatic, thyroid, hepatocellular carcinoma, meningioma and multiple myeloma.
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In a paper published in the journal JAMA Network Open, the scientists said: “Compared with insulins, GLP-1 was associated with a significantly lower risk of 10 of 13 obesity-associated cancers.”
People taking insulin were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with pancreatic, colorectal, gallbladder and meningioma cancers in comparison, they added.
The other six diseases were esophageal, endometrial, gastric, renal, ovarian and multiple myelomas.
The greatest reduction was seen in gallbladder cancer, with patients taking GLP-1 agonists having a 65% lower risk of developing the disease than patients taking insulin.
Other significant reductions were observed for pancreatic cancer (59%), ovarian cancer (48%) and colorectal cancer (46%).
However, the results for thyroid cancer showed “no statistically different risk.”
Research in mice and rats has suggested that vaccines like Ozempic and Wegovy, which work by mimicking hormones, may increase the risk of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC).
“The results of our study, together with previous reports of insulins promoting cancer growth, suggest that GLP-1 may be associated with an increased risk of thyroid cancer,” the scientists said.
The risk was also lower for seven cancers in people taking GLP-1 agonists compared with those taking metformin.
These included the pancreas, ovaries, stomach and gallbladder.
Kidney cancers, on the other hand, showed an increased risk with GLP-1 treatment compared to metformin, but a decrease compared to insulin.
Similarly, “no evidence of increased risk” of breast cancer was observed in GLP-1 agonists compared to those treated with insulin or metformin.
The researchers acknowledged, however, that the study had “several limitations,” including not controlling for variables such as patients’ weight loss, which could impact their risk of obesity-related cancer.
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But they added: “Given that type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity have negative impacts on patients during cancer treatment, GLP-1s should be evaluated for the control of these comorbid conditions during cancer treatment as well as for secondary prevention to delay cancer recurrence.”
The injections have been shown to help users lose up to 33 lbs (15.3 kg) on average over 68 weeks.
They work by tricking the brain into thinking it is full, reducing appetite and helping people lose weight.
Semaglutide, more commonly known as Ozempic, has been available on the NHS since 2019 and in the US since 2017, for people with type 2 diabetes. manage blood sugar levels.
Another semaglutide drug was also approved in Britain for weight loss in 2022, and in the United States in 2021, under the brand name Wegovy.
Tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro, was given the green light earlier this year in the UK, and in 2022 in the US, for the same reason.
These revolutionary hormone injections have been praised by celebrities including Elon Musk and Jeremy Clarkson.
British ministers plan to give the drug to millions of overweight Britons to cut the country’s welfare bill. Children could also be vaccinated.
Prescriptions for Ozempic and similar weight-loss drugs have also exploded in the United States, with 39 million people, or 12% of the population, now estimated to be using them.
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Like all medicines, semaglutide can cause side effects that vary in frequency and severity. Reported problems include nausea, constipation, diarrhea, tiredness, stomach pain, headache, and dizziness.
Strange symptoms, such as hair loss, have also been reported in some patients.
The latest NHS data shows that 26% of adults in England are obese and a further 38% are overweight but not obese. In the US, an estimated 41.9% of the adult population are obese.
Although hormone-mimicking injections are designed to help overweight patients become healthier, there is also growing concern about the number of normal-weight and underweight patients taking them for cosmetic reasons.
Some have even required emergency room care after being vaccinated to be “beach ready.”
Young women in particular are thought to be obtaining the drug through online pharmacies, which offer it for between £150 and £200 ($200-$250) a month after providing false information about their appearance and health.
In some cases, people who get vaccinated without a legitimate medical reason are thought to be doing so because of eating disorders.