A new study seems to show that some diabetes medicines may lower a person’s risk for colon cancer.
The diabetes drugs, glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists (GLP-1 RAs), include Ozempic, Rybelsus and Victoza.
“Our results clearly demonstrate that GLP-1 RAs are significantly more effective than popular anti-diabetic drugs, such as Metformin or insulin, at preventing the development of colorectal cancer (CRC),” Nathan Berger, MD, a professor at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and the study’s co-lead researcher, said in a statement.
The findings were published on Thursday in JAMA Oncology. Researchers said more trials are needed to see if they can work, and said the class of drugs could offer hope for other cancers related to diabetes and obesity.
The protective effects of GLP-1 RAs were apparent in people who were overweight or obese, and those who were not.
The drugs are for people with type 2 diabetes to reduce blood sugar, manage weight and improve insulin sensitivity. GLP-1 RAs have been shown to reduce the rates of major cardiovascular issues as well. That’s why the researchers wanted to see if the drugs could affect the rates of CRC.
“To our knowledge,” Rong Xu, PhD, a professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, co-lead researcher said, “this is the first indication this popular weight-loss and anti-diabetic class of drugs reduces incidence of CRC, relative to other anti-diabetic agents.”
The team used a national database on more than 1.2 million people who took the drugs between 2005 and 2019. Then the researchers looked at the incidence of CRC and compared it to people on other anti-diabetes medications.
Of 22,572 people with diabetes who took insulin, there were 167 cases of CRC. Another 22,572 matched people who took GLP-1 RAs had 94 cases of CRC. The people on GLP-1 RAs had a 44% reduction in incidence of CRC, the researchers noted. The scientists looked at 18,518 people who took Metformin and compared that to the same number of people who took GLP-1 RAs; there was a 25% decrease in CRC among the GLP-1 RA users.
The news comes as another recent report said that most oral anti-diabetic (OAD) drugs can help slow cognitive decline and reduce the risk and incidence of dementia as a complication of type 2 diabetes.
