Pioneering weight-loss injections may help fight cancer, study suggests.
Wegovy, Ozempic, and other fat-melting injections have ushered in a new era in the war on obesity.
Now experts have found that the drugs may have other medical benefits, namely kick-starting cancer-fighting cells in the body.
This, in theory, could boost the body’s internal defenses and defend against tumors.
Scientists are also investigating whether the breakthrough drugs known as GLP-1 agonists can fight dementia.
Fat-melting semaglutide injections like Wegovy and Ozempic have been heralded as the start of a new era in the war on obesity. Now experts have discovered that the drugs may have other benefits, namely restoring the body’s ability to defend itself against cancer
After clinical trials showed that, in addition to diet and exercise, Wegovy can help a person lose 15 percent of their weight in 68 weeks, it received approval in the US specifically for weight loss in 2021. In March this year, NHS watchdog NICE also gave the green light to the UK’s weekly weight-loss jab
Researchers at Maynooth University in Ireland followed 20 obese people who took a weekly injection of semaglutide for six months.
Semaglutide is the generic version of Wegovy and Ozempic.
The treatment mimics glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) – a hormone in the brain that prompts the body to produce more insulin and lower blood sugar, thereby regulating appetite.
Scientists investigated whether the jabs could help restore the function of natural killer (NK) immune cells in the body.
These cells are considered key in fighting cancer.
Natural killer cells are specialized white blood cells that locate and destroy ‘abnormal’ cells in the body that may pose a threat.
Yet previous research has suggested that obesity dulls their powers, while those who are obese have less of it.
Participants in the study, which was funded by the Irish government, started with a weekly dose of 0.25 mg before increasing to 1 mg.
This is a slightly slower schedule than a diabetes treatment schedule, starting at 0.25mg and increasing until the full dose of 2.4mg is reached.
The results showed that, after six months of GLP-1 treatment, the body’s NK cell function had been restored and “the ability to kill cancer cells.”
This was independent of the weight loss effect, suggesting a direct impact on NK cells.
Write in the journal obesityresearchers claimed that the treatment also “stimulates the cellular metabolism of NK cells of obese people.”
Wegovy was approved as a weight-loss drug in the US in 2021 after clinical trials showed that, in addition to diet and exercise, it can help a person lose 15 percent of their weight in 68 weeks.
In March this year, NHS watchdog NICE also gave the green light to the UK’s weekly weight-loss jab.
Wegovy will be available to people with a BMI of 35 or more – a classification that means they are morbidly obese.
Patients must also have at least one weight-related comorbidity, such as type 2 diabetes, to be eligible.
Wegovy, which mimics glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and is produced by the Danish company Novo Nordisk, was found to help people lose 10.8% of their body fat over 68 weeks. Other weight loss medications include tirzepatide, liraglutide, and orlistat. The latter two are already available on the NHS
Despite being hailed as one of the most powerful pharmaceutical tools to date, studies have also shown that users of Wegovy can quickly put on pounds back on once they stop taking the fat-fighting drug and that it can cause a variety of unpleasant side effects. Users often complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhea after taking the medication
Dr. Andrew Hogan, an immunologist at Maynooth University who led the research, said: ‘While these findings will understandably be welcomed by people living with obesity seeking safe and effective treatments, given the recent spike in popularity associated with the benefits of the GLP-1 treatment with global and high-profile celebrities commenting on its success, global demand has increased and resulted in a global shortage of the drug.
“I hope this is something that will be brought under control to ensure that as many obese people as possible can start their own treatment of this beneficial drug.”
Meanwhile, Professor Donal O’Shea, national leader for obesity at the Health Service Executive, who oversees public health services in Ireland, said: ‘We are finally reaching the point where medical treatments for the disease of obesity are shown to prevent the complications of obesity .
The current findings represent very positive news for obese people undergoing GLP-1 therapy and suggest that the benefits of this family of treatments may extend to a reduction in cancer risk.”
But GLP-1 has also been linked to increasing the risk of several conditions, including two types of cancer.
US research on mice and rats has suggested that semaglutide – the powerful ingredient behind Wegovy and Ozempic – could increase the risk of medullary thyroid cancer.
Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical giant that makes the weekly injection, is investigating whether it could have the same effect in humans.
Another study conducted by the company itself is looking at whether semaglutide can lead to pancreatic cancer.
Both diseases are listed by the bosses of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as ‘important potential risks’.
But there is no evidence yet that they are definitely side effects – even in extremely rare cases.
Meanwhile, Chinese researchers published a report earlier this year warning that the drugs could enlarge a person’s small intestine, putting them at high risk for a potentially deadly obstruction in their digestive system.
In experiments performed on mice, the enlargement of the gut occurred about 20 months after taking GLP-1 drugs.
The new research from the Londsdale Health Institute will be presented Saturday at the European Congress on Obesity in Dublin, Ireland.
https://healthmedicinet.com/i/miracle-weight-loss-jabs-like-wegovy-could-also-help-in-fight-against-cancer-researchers-claim/