GLP-1 Medications and Cancer Risk: What a New Study Reveals
At Flow Wellness, we keep a close eye on the latest research around GLP-1 medications because our patients deserve to know more than just how these treatments affect weight and blood sugar. A recent JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Oncology study is making waves—and for good reason! Turns out the benefits of GLP-1 include lower risk of many types of cancer.
The Study in a Nutshell
Researchers followed over 86,000 adults with obesity between 2014 and 2024. They compared two groups:
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Those who were prescribed GLP-1 medications
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Those who qualified but did not use them
After carefully matching the groups to reduce bias, they looked at the rates of 14 different cancers.
Findings:
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People taking GLP-1s had lower rates of cancer overall.
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The biggest reductions were seen in endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, and meningioma.
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There was a small uptick in kidney cancer, but it wasn’t statistically strong and needs more research.
Put simply: the GLP-1 group developed about 17% fewer cancers than the non-GLP-1 group.
What This Means for Patients
If you’re taking a GLP-1, you didn’t start it to prevent cancer—you started it to manage obesity or diabetes, improve your health, and feel better. But this research suggests there may be additional long-term benefits when it comes to cancer risk, especially for women’s cancers, which is really exciting news.
Still, the essentials don’t change:
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Keep up with routine screenings (like mammograms, Pap tests, and colonoscopies).
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Stay consistent with follow-ups and lab work.
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Stick with your treatment plan and the healthy changes you’re making.
What It Doesn’t Mean
This study doesn’t mean GLP-1s are officially cancer prevention drugs, but it’s an exciting sign. Since it’s observational, there could be other factors involved, and researchers agree we need longer, more rigorous studies before anything changes in the guidelines. What we don’t know yet is whether the benefit comes purely from weight loss or from other effects of GLP-1s, like lowering insulin and inflammation. Either way, the findings are very encouraging — and definitely worth keeping an eye on as more research comes out.
Why It Matters
For our community at Flow Wellness, this is hopeful news. It adds to the growing body of evidence that GLP-1s may support health in ways that go beyond weight loss and diabetes management. While we need more research, this is another reason to feel confident about the care you’re investing in.
At Flow, we’ll continue to follow the science closely so we can guide you with the latest, most reliable information.
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