Understanding Weight Loss and Cancer
- New research presented at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting found patients taking weight loss drugs like semaglutide injections Ozempic or Wegovy, were 19% less likely to develop 13 obesity-related cancers.
- The drug semaglutide, which Real Housewives of New Jersey star Jennifer Fessler has taken to lose about 22 pounds, has been commended along with other blockbuster weight loss medicines for their “enormous potential” in cancer prevention.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, “Being overweight or having obesity are linked with a higher risk of getting 13 types of cancer.” Some of these cancers include breast, colon, ovarian, and stomach (gastric).
- The National Cancer Institute (NCI) says fat tissue “produces excess amounts of estrogen,” which is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers, including breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer. Obesity is associated with high levels of insulin, which can lead to colon, kidney, prostate, and endometrial cancer.
Doctors at the annual event ultimately praised drugs, like semaglutide, which 54-year-old Real Housewives of New Jersey star Jennifer Fessler has taken to lose weight, for their “enormous potential” to prevent new cancer cases and even treat cancer.
Read MoreMeanwhile, an additional study published at the ASCO conference suggested these type of drugs could reduce breast cancer recurrence, and increase their long-term survival rates.
Researchers with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York said this medication could be a “new tool” against breast cancer.
Lastly, a paper led by Yale University, which was also presented at the meeting, suggested people battling breast cancer could have a reduced risk of cancer recurrence when taking these weight loss drugs.
“Our findings are significant in that they could change the paradigm of obesity management by suggesting early intervention with GLP-1 RAs could delay or prevent obesity-related cancer development,” said co-authors Dr Cindy Lin and Dr Benjamin Liu.
Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide has various brand names, including Ozempic, Rybelsu, and Wegovy—the drug works by impacting the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP) GLP-1 hormone. The highly popular drug semaglutide has been shown to offer long-term weight loss effects for patients taking the injection, which is an FDA-approved prescription medication for adults with type 2 diabetes.
RELATED: What You Need to Know About Obesity
“GLP-1 based therapies are highly effective at producing weight loss, and thus one of the fundamental mechanisms by which they improve cancer outcomes is via the impressive weight loss that they produce,” Dr. Mitchell Lazar, a director at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, said, as per The Guardian.
“Obesity is a risk factor for nearly all cancers, in both men and women. Thus the revolution in the medical treatment of obesity has enormous potential to prevent new cancers, reduce the severity and growth rate of existing tumors, and synergise with new cancer-specific therapies.”
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Despite the exciting findings, the chief medical officer of ASCO, Dr Julie Gralow, more research is needed to better understand whether the drugs themselves reduced cancer risk, or whether the lessened risk was simply due to weight loss.
Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician, Prof Charles Swanton, added, “Well-designed prospective trials with randomized data will provide more clarity on the potential and safety of weight-loss drugs to lower people’s risk of cancer.”
RHONJ’s Jennifer Fessler’s Weight Loss Journey
Speaking on an episode of her “Two Jersey Js” podcast last year, internet personality Jennifer Fessler admitted to being hospitalized after suffering from an impacted bowel, which happened after she took semaglutide. She said the impaction occurred because she wasn’t drinking the amount of water her body needed.
The Real Housewife of New Jersey explained, “I have been on, and I’m not going to call it Ozempic … that’s been the umbrella name. But I’ve been on semaglutide for over a year now, and I’ve lost maybe 22 pounds.”
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In regard to whether she worries about side effects from the drug, she explained, “I’m a raging hypochondriac, but when it comes to things having to do with my physical appearance, somehow that goes out the window. For instance, I’m not afraid at all of going into surgery for anything cosmetic.”
“I’m not afraid of Ozempic and I will tell you I have had an experience that was not good. And I’m pretty positive it was about the semaglutide, where I had to go to the hospital for an impacted bowel … and I’m still not nervous about it.”
More On Obesity & Cancer Risk
In a earlier interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Stephen Freedland of Cedars Sinai Medical Center said, “Some of the best data we have is that obesity increases the risk of not just getting prostate cancer, but actually dying from prostate cancer. Obese men are 35 percent more likely to die from prostate cancer.”
While obesity or a person’s high weight will not always cause them to develop cancer, other conditions associated obesity, like diabetes and heart disease, can lead to complications from cancer treatment if a person already has cancer. In addition, these conditions can sometimes prevent patients from receiving the recommended first-line therapies, as well as increase a patient’s risk of undergoing surgery.
Dr. Andrea Tufano-Sugarman of NYU Langone Health explained to SurvivorNet the benefits of losing weight.
“While all cancers cannot be prevented,” she said, “losing weight is a great way to reduce one’s risk.”
Sugar, The Western Diet And Cancer Prevention
Dr. Tufano-Sugarman said that this is especially true for women; they lower their risk of developing breast cancer and endometrial cancer when they lose weight and keep it of.
Obesity has also been linked to a variety of health issues like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal issues, mental health problems, cancer and reproductive health.
Even without losing weight, adopting a more nutritious diet can help.
“Food choices, independent of weight loss, may also help to reduce risk,” Dr. Tufano-Sugarman said. “Research has shown that the Mediterranean diet (rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, fish and olive oil) is associated with a decreased risk of cancer. Whereas diets rich in red meat may be associated with an increased risk of colorectal and prostate cancer.”
How Can Diet Affect My Cancer Risk?
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), fat tissue “produces excess amounts of estrogen,” which is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers, including breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer. The NCI says a person who is severely obese is “7 times” more likely to be diagnosed with endometrial cancer.
Obesity is associated with high levels of insulin, which can lead to colon, kidney, prostate, and endometrial cancer. It can affect cancer survivors in various ways, including the chance of cancer recurrence and overall quality of life.
To learn more about your ideal healthy weight, determine your body mass index (BMI).
Body weight that exceeds what the body mass index deems appropriate for your weight and height can help determine body fat content. Although your BMI can help you learn if you are at a healthy weight, underweight, overweight, or obese, other factors may contribute to your overall health.
The NCI analyzed several studies to observe physical activity’s impact on overall cancer risk. The NCI says that “higher levels of physical activity are linked to lower risk of several types of cancer.”
Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and managing stress are some ways people can practice leading a healthy life. For cancer survivors, a healthier lifestyle alongside getting regular checks for recurrence may improve your quality of life.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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