New Promise for Curbing Smoking?
- The trendy and controversial weight loss drug Ozempic may have another added health benefit, potentially helping people curb their smoking addiction.
- According to a study published Tuesday, there were reports of “reduced desire to smoke,” in patients taking semaglutide, typically prescribed for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
- As far as other benefits, Ozempic is also prescribed “to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and known heart disease,” according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
- Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women in the United States. Nonsmokers still get lung cancer, but cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for the disease.
Nevertheless, according to a study published Tuesday in Annals of Internal Medicine, there were reports of “reduced desire to smoke,” in patients taking semaglutide, typically prescribed for obesity and type 2 diabetes. The ACP Journals compared 222,942 new users of the drug, and its findings from the six-year study, which went from December 2017 to March of last year.
Read MoreWhat Is Semaglutide?
Semaglutide, the FDA states, “belongs to a class of medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists.”
The drug “mimics the GLP-1 hormone that is released in the gastrointestinal tract in response to eating,” prompting the body “to produce more insulin,” which is xx, and reduces blood glucose (sugar). Higher amounts of GLP-1 “interacts with the parts of the brain that reduce appetite and signal a feeling of fullness.”
Cancer Screening for Smokers
The American Cancer Society (ACS) recently released new lung cancer screening guidelines explicitly aimed at heavy smokers.
RELATED: Smoking Doesn’t Just Cause Lung Cancer — It’s the Top Risk Factor For Bladder Cancer
“This updated guideline continues a trend of expanding eligibility for lung cancer screening in a way that will result in many more deaths prevented by expanding the eligibility criteria for screening to detect lung cancer early,” said Dr. Robert Smith, senior vice president, early cancer detection science at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the lung cancer screening guideline report.
Lung cancer screening is painless and lasts only a few minutes. It involves using a low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). While lying on a table, an X-ray will scan your lungs for anything unusual, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains.
Smoking and Lung Cancer Risk
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women in the United States. Nonsmokers still get lung cancer, but cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for the disease.
Tobacco smoke contains a mixture of more than 7,000 different chemicals, at least 70 of which are known to cause cancer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.
Lung cancer in smokers vs. nonsmokers
The CDC adds that cigarette smoking is linked to about 80 to 90 percent of lung cancer deaths, and people who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than people who don’t smoke. Additionally, second-hand smoke can cause lung cancer.
Dr. Andrea Tufano-Sugarman of NYU Langone Health often counsels cancer patients who are trying to quit smoking.
“We know that there is a causal relationship between smoking and both incidents of cancer, and the chance of dying from cancer,” she told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. “There are very few things in science that have a cause and effect relationship, but this is one of them, which is very powerful.”
Dr. Tufano-Sugarman’s main message for people trying to quit smoking is that the process is not always linear.
“There’s going to be slip-ups and relapses,” she said. “But above all, it’s never too late to stop.”
Strategies for Managing Tobacco Cravings
If you’re on the fence about trying Ozempic to help with your smoking habit, here are some other strategies to try:
- Nicotine replacement therapy is one of the main tools that smokers have at their disposal. Long-acting therapies like nicotine patches can be paired with short acting therapies (including nicotine gum, lozenges, nasal spray, and inhalers) to cope with intense cravings. More research will be needed to gauge the effectiveness of other smoking substitutes like e-cigarettes and vapes.
- Steer clear of triggers. Cravings can be provoked by situations that you are used to having tobacco in. It can help to familiarize yourself with these environments and make plans for how you can manage them without tobacco or how you can avoid them completely.
- Wait. If you feel yourself on the brink of giving in to a tobacco craving, delay smoking for 10 minutes and do something else to distract yourself. Move to a no-smoking area to make it less convenient for you to smoke. Cravings can often subside if given time.
- Chew something. Whether it’s gum, candy, or vegetables, chew something that will occupy your mouth as you resist your cravings.
- Don’t give in to the “just one more” mentality. Smoking once just leads to smoking again. Be careful not to convince yourself that you can satisfy a tobacco craving and then quit after that.
- Exercise more. Boosting your physical activity can distract you from tobacco cravings and also make them less intense. Exercise can mean a lot of different thingseven short periods of physical activity can help tobacco cravings go away.
- Try relaxation techniques. Finding new ways of dealing with stress can be an important part of quitting smoking. Techniques like deep-breathing, yoga, visualization, muscle relaxation, and massage can open new doors for the way you relate to stress and smoking.
- Reach out for support. Establishing strong support systems is essential both for people battling cancer and people battling tobacco addiction. Calling a friend or family member to talk on the phone or go for a walk can help remind you that you’re not in this alone.
- Research other resources. The Mayo Clinic recommends a free telephone line 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669)for support and counseling.
Additionally, there are online support groups for smokers trying to quit, and blogs where people write about how they manage the same challenges you are facing. Remind yourself why you want to quit. Whether your goal is to feel better, get healthier, save money, or prepare for cancer treatment, it can help to write down or speak aloud the reason you decided to quit in the first place.
Ozempic and Cancer Risk?
As the drug Ozempic started gaining popularity, concerns were brought up about whether these weight-loss drugs can pose a cancer risk for thyroid and colorectal cancers.
ASCO Daily News – a news resource for the American Society of Clinical Oncology – reported that the GLP-1 hormone, which, as mentioned above, is released by the gut in response to food, does not pose a cancer risk.
RELATED: Ozempic Shaming is Wrong Says NBC’s Al Roker, 69, Who Beat Prostate Cancer & Lost 100 Pounds
Semaglutide works by impacting the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP) GLP-1 hormone.
Integral to blood sugar control, GLP-1 is a hormone released by the gut in response to food. It causes the pancreas to release insulin. A rising blood insulin level causes all body tissues to absorb glucose (blood sugar) from the bloodstream, lowering blood glucose levels. GLP-1 also prevents the release of glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar levels by stimulating liver cells to release glucose and helps people feel full for longer. These effects can also cause people to lose weight.
The Role of Diet and Exercise in Cancer Risk
A study reported in the medical journal JAMA Network analyzed data to learn if GLP-1 increased colorectal cancer risk. The researchers say GLP-1 RAs (receptor agonists) – a class of drugs that helps manage blood sugar levels in people living with type 2 diabetes – noted a “decreased risk” for colorectal cancer. The decrease stems from the drug’s ability to reduce obesity risk – a known risk factor for colorectal cancer.
As far as negative side effects reported since Ozempic started making headlines as a Hollywood diet trend? Complaints of sagging, deflated breasts and hollowed out cheeks.
When you lose weight rather quickly, losing fat and elasticity in your breasts may cause them to look very different. The medical term for sagging breasts is ptosis, as noted by MDLinx medical site, which states that breast changes due to taking Ozempic can be temporary and “often improves once the drug is stopped.” Most likely, because much of the weight is gained back.
Wearing a supportive bra, doing gentle breast massages and using a lower dose of semaglutide can all help this unfavorable result from using the drug, which celebrities like Rebel Wilson and Tori Spelling have used.
Contributing by SurvivorNet staff.
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