Israeli study finds weight-loss jabs slash cancer risk ‘beyond’ benefits of weight loss alone
Landmark data shows GLP-1 drugs outperform surgery, as UK team plans huge trial to test cancer prevention potential
A groundbreaking Israeli study has found that weight-loss jabs such as Ozempic may dramatically cut the risk of developing cancer, opening a “new dawn” in efforts to prevent the disease.
Led by Dr Yael Wolff Sagy of Clalit Health Services, the eight-year study tracked 6,400 patients and found that GLP-1 injections were 41 percent better at preventing cancer than weight loss via bariatric surgery.
“I believe there could be a future where people who are not obese, but have other risk factors for cancer, could be prescribed GLP-1s to help prevent it,” said Wolff Sagy.
The research was presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Málaga and has prompted UK scientists to launch a major trial testing whether GLP-1s could reduce the country’s growing burden of obesity-related cancers.
Professor Andrew Renehan, co-author and cancer surgeon at the University of Manchester, said GLP-1 drugs were “a potentially cutting-edge area for cancer prevention”.
Professor Mark Lawler of Queen’s University Belfast described the results as “very exciting”, adding: “This work could herald a whole new era of preventative cancer medicine.”
GLP-1s mimic a natural hormone that helps regulate appetite and blood sugar. While originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, newer versions like Wegovy and Mounjaro are now used for weight loss and have shown promise in reducing inflammation and enhancing the immune system’s ability to destroy cancer cells.
Professor Dror Dicker, an Israeli obesity expert and study co-author, said: “They have a more powerful anti-cancer mechanism than bariatric surgery.”
Dr Matthew Harris, leading the UK trial project PADRAIC, warned that “on current trends, there will be this massive increase in obesity-related cancers”. He said GLP-1s could be “a really significant public health intervention” if shown to prevent such diseases on a large scale.
We’ve never had a “weapon” like this before, added Professor Jason Halford from the European Association for the Study of Obesity, who said the drugs represented a “new dawn” for cancer care.
A real-world trial is expected to begin within five years, involving tens of thousands of participants across the UK.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
