New and exciting studies are coming out about additional therapeutic uses for GLP-1 agonists (Mounjaro, Ozempic, etc).
The following medical data compilation, in particular, is mainly directed towards lowering the risk of Obesity-Related Cancers. Check out the gist of it.
SuaRx Summary:
A recent observational study presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting suggests that patients with diabetes and obesity who are treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists may have a modestly lower risk of developing obesity-related cancers compared with those treated with DPP-4 inhibitors.
Study Overview
The study analyzed data from 170,030 U.S. adults with:
A diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, and
A BMI ≥ 30, meeting the criteria for obesity.
Participants were divided evenly:
85,015 received a GLP-1 receptor agonist85,015 received a DPP-4 inhibitor
The average participant was 56.8 years old with a mean BMI of 38.5.
Researchers examined the incidence of 14 obesity-related cancers as well as all-cause mortality.
Key Findings
Patients treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists experienced:
A 7% reduction in risk of any obesity-related cancer (aHR 0.93; P = 0.005)
An 8% reduction in all-cause mortality (aHR 0.92; P = 0.001)
There were 2,501 new cancer cases in the GLP-1 group, versus 2,671 in the DPP-4 group.
Notably, GLP-1 therapy was associated with:
A 16% lower risk of colon cancer
A 28% lower risk of rectal cancer
Importantly, no increased risk was identified for any of the 14 cancer types examined.
Sex-Based Analysis
Outcomes differed by sex:
Men: No meaningful association between medication type and cancer or mortality outcomes.
Women: 8% reduction in obesity-related cancer risk20% reduction in all-cause mortality
Interpretation and Expert Opinion:
While the study does not prove a causal relationship, it indicates that GLP-1 receptor agonists may offer additional health benefits beyond glucose control and weight reduction. Experts emphasize that more rigorous, controlled research is needed to confirm whether these medications can play a role in cancer prevention, including among individuals without diabetes.
