New study shows GLP-1 meds may help slow spread of some obesity-related cancers

Añadido: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]Right. 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 that they may also help slow the spread of certain obesity-related cancers. Here now is our health chief health editor, Dr. Partha Nandi.

[00:00:16]Thanks for being with us. So, tell us about this study and what kind of cancers are affected.

[00:00:20]>> And I know you love this stuff. So, this is really interesting research, Mike.

[00:00:23]You know, people with diabetes are one to two times more likely to develop certain types of cancer. So, findings like these are super encouraging to me.

[00:00:30]Now, in this study, researchers looked at health data from more than 12,000 people worldwide who had cancer. And there were seven types of cancer that were that were analyzed. And patients were at either stage one, two, or three.

[00:00:41]And what researchers did was compare patients taking GLP-1 medications to similar patients taking another type of diabetes drug called DD DPP-4 inhibitors or gliptins. And here's what was found, which is fantastic. Patients taking GLP-1 drugs were 38% to 50% less likely to progress to stage four or metastatic cancer in four major cancer types. Those were lung, breast, colorectal, and liver cancer. Big big cancers that kill people. 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%.

[00:01:18]>> those are some incredible numbers. Why might GLP-1 medications slow the spread of some obesity-related cancers? And what were the other cancers? Did they also see a drop?

[00:01:26]>> That's important question, right? So, obesity and diabetes, we know, can make it easier for cancer to grow. Higher insulin levels, Mike, high blood sugar, and chronic inflammation may help cancer spread and progress. When it comes to treatment, both GLP-1s and gliptin medications help improve metabolism and lower blood sugar and reduce insulin resistance. But, here's the thing. GLP-1 drugs also seem to have a stronger anti-inflammatory and immune-related effects, which could play a big role. Remember, cancer can be treated with immune drugs as well, right? So, that's why it's important to say that. As for the other three cancers in the study, they were prostate, pancreatic, and kidney cancers, and patients taking GLP-1 drugs had a fewer cases of cancer progressing to stage four, but not statistically significant in this study. So, while research was only an observational study, the findings to me are promising and could lead to a larger clinical trial in the future. Bottom line is if you can control your diabetes well, as well as an have an anti-inflammatory and immune system effect, I think this could could really be important in the future.

[00:02:23]>> And we're just in early days of GLP-1.

[00:02:25]>> Exactly.

[00:02:26]>> All right, thanks so much, Dr. Nandy. We appreciate you. This week on the Dr. Nandy Show, acne and bad skin beyond your teenage years. How your diet and skin care may be getting in your way, and advice from the experts. So, tune in this Saturday at noon.