A study carried out in Ireland suggests that semaglutide-based medicines, such as Ozempic and Wegoy, may help to prevent cancer. Semaglutide was created to treat type 2 diabetes, but has been used for weight loss, as one of its effects is hunger control.
Published in obesity magazine, the work followed 20 patients with obesity who used Ozempic for six months. The authors, physicians from the University of Maynooth, noticed that the medicine managed to increase the number of NK cells, the “natural killers”, in the patients.
NK cells are white blood cells specialized in locating and eradicating “defective” cells, which could represent the beginning of the formation of a tumor. Isolating the NK in vitro, the researchers also observed that semaglutide improved their performance and resistance.
“This seems to indicate that there is an anticancer action in the medication even without considering weight loss”, say the researchers.
Excess body fat is associated with more than 40% of tumor types. “People with obesity can develop a variety of health problems, from sleep apnea to cancer. Our research shows that there are many other benefits than just weight loss from using the medicine,” says immunologist Conor de Barra, one of those responsible for the study.
It is important to clarify that the use of Ozempic is also associated with several side effects, especially when performed without proper medical indication. These problems range from malnutrition to regaining more weight than the total lost.
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