A recent study found that popular glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound, have little to no impact on an individual's risk of obesity-related cancer.

The study was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2022, about 2.5 billion adults were overweight, of which 890 million were living with obesity.

Previous studies have shown how obesity increases an individual's risk of different types of cancers. However, the new study reveals that GLP-1 medications don't lower an individual's cancer risk.

Obesity increases the risk of different types of cancers, including thyroid, pancreatic, breast, kidney, colorectal, esophageal, liver, gallbladder, ovarian, gastric, and endometrial cancer, among others.

Researchers analysed 48 previously-conducted trials which examined the safety and efficacy of GLP-1 drugs on people with type 2 diabetes, overweight, or obesity. These studies involved a total of more than 94,000 participants.

Cho-Han Chiang, MD, MMSc, clinician investigator in the Department of Medicine in Mount Auburn Hospital at Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts, and corresponding author of this study told Medical News Today, "GLP-1 receptor agonists are now being used by millions of people worldwide for diabetes and obesity, yet their long-term cancer safety has remained uncertain."

Source:Ndtv