Could Popular Weight Loss Drugs Help Prevent Cancer?

In this episode, Dr. Diane Reidy-Lagunes sits down with MSK’s Dr. Neil Iyengar, a nationally recognized expert on the relationship between obesity, metabolic health, and cancer. Together, they discuss the intriguing connection between a new class of weight loss drugs, called GLP-1 agonists, and cancer risk reduction. They explore how medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and others, which were originally designed for diabetes, are not only effective for weight loss but may also lower the risk of developing obesity-related cancers. They explain how those drugs work within the body to deliver potential benefits, the limitations of current studies, and what weight loss drugs mean for both cancer prevention and treatment.

Episode Chapters:
1:35 - How do these drugs cause weight loss?
3:08 - What cancers could these drugs help prevent?
4:29 - How exactly do they prevent cancer?
6:10 - Should people with cancer take these drugs?
7:42 - What happens when you stop taking them?
10:56 - Potential side effects
12:25 - Limitations of recent study and breast cancer prevention
14:36 - 3 lifestyle tips to prevent and treat cancer

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