Study Suggests Weight Loss Drugs Can Reduce Cancer Risk

The fact that there is a connection between obesity and an increased risk of cancer is not news at this point, but the specifics of that connection are still being charted. As the National Cancer Institute pointed out on its website, “there is consistent evidence that higher amounts of body fat are associated with an increased risk of a number of cancers.” A 2023 study found that a person’s weight can put them a higher risk for more types of cancer than was previously believed.

If your risk of cancer goes up with your weight, does that also mean that losing weight can have the opposite effect? According to a recent study, the answer is yes — but sometimes in surprising ways. A study published this month in eClinicalMedicine compared the effect of several weight loss drugs to the effect of bariatric surgery in reducing patients’ risk for different types of cancer.

The researchers found that “incidence of [obesity-related cancer] was similar among those who were treated with first-generation GLP-1RA (primarily liraglutide) or with [bariatric metabolic surgery]” — though they also noted “the relative advantage of [bariatric metabolic surgery] in weight reduction, known to reduce cancer risk.” In other words, bariatric surgery might cause someone to lose more weight, but use of GLP-1 drugs will reduce the risk of cancer by a similar amount.

“The protective effects of GLP-1RAs against obesity-related cancers likely arise from multiple mechanisms, including reducing inflammation,” said the study’s lead author, Dror Dicker, in an interview with The Guardian.

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As for where things could go from there, one academic — Jason Halford of Leeds University — had a suggestion for next steps. “[W]eight management in people recently diagnosed with cancer is also critical in terms of outcomes,” he told The Guardian. “That would be the next thing to look at. More and more cancers are being associated with obesity.”