(WXYZ) — In today’s Health Alert, popular GLP-1 medications used for diabetes and weight loss may do more than help control blood sugar and appetite. A new study suggests they may also help slow the spread of certain obesity-related cancers.
This is really interesting research. People with diabetes are 1 to 2 times more likely to develop certain types of cancer, so findings like these are encouraging.
Now, in this study, researchers looked at health data from more than 12,000 people worldwide who had cancer. There were seven types of cancer that were analyzed, and patients were at either stage 1, 2, or 3. And what the researchers did was compare patients taking GLP-1 medications to similar patients taking another type of diabetes drug called DPP-4 inhibitors, or gliptins.
And here’s what was found. Patients taking GLP-1 drugs were 38% to 50% less likely to progress to stage 4 metastatic cancer in four major cancer types. Those were lung, breast, colorectal, and liver cancer.
On top of that, results showed a 33% lower risk of death overall. The biggest survival benefit was seen in breast cancer patients, where the risk of death dropped by 45%.
Obesity and diabetes can make it easier for cancer to grow. Higher insulin levels, high blood sugar, and chronic inflammation may help cancer spread and progress.
When it comes to treatment, both GLP-1 and gliptin medications help improve metabolism, lower blood sugar, and reduce insulin resistance. But GLP-1 drugs also appear to have stronger anti-inflammatory and immune-related effects, which could play a role.
As for the other three cancers in this study, they were prostate, pancreatic, and kidney cancers. Patients taking GLP-1 drugs had fewer cases of cancer progressing to stage 4, but it was not statistically significant.
Now, we’ve heard that GLP-1 drugs have been linked to inflammation of the pancreas. But this study found that side effects were similar between patients taking GLP-1 drugs and those taking gliptin drugs. And neither group had higher rates of stomach or pancreas inflammation.
So, while this research was an observational study, the findings are promising and could lead to larger clinical trials in the future.
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So you think acne and bad skin are only reserved for your teenage years? Right? Wrong! Dr. Partha Nandi talks with guests who attribute their bad skin in adulthood to what they eat and the products they use. He talks with twin brothers who are astro and geophysicists who developed a skincare line after watching their mom suffer from horrible rashes. Plus, Dr. Nandi gets great skincare advice from "The Spa Doctor," Dr. Trevor Cates. Tune in this Saturday, May 30th at Noon.
