JERUSALEM, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Weight-loss injections could significantly lower the risk of obesity-related cancers, according to a study by Israeli researchers from Rabin Medical Center and Clalit Health Services published Monday.
Obesity and diabetes are known to increase the risk of cancers, including those of the breast, colon, and liver.
The study, published in eClinicalMedicine, part of weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal The Lancet, followed 6,356 adults with obesity and Type 2 diabetes over eight years, and analyzed cancer rates among those using injectable weight-loss drugs and those undergoing bariatric surgery.
Despite greater weight loss from surgery, cancer risk reduction was similar between the two groups. After accounting for weight differences, the injectable drugs showed a 41-percent lower cancer risk than surgery, the study showed.
The researchers suggested that the drugs' anti-inflammatory properties, along with other drug-related effects beyond weight loss, may contribute to this protective benefit.
Meanwhile, the researchers stressed the need for further research to confirm these drugs do not raise risks for cancers unrelated to obesity. ■
