The Link Between Obesity And Cancer - Could Weight Loss Injections Help?

Are you carrying excess weight? If you’re overweight or obese you could be at increased risk of getting cancer. Studies show that obesity is the second biggest risk-factor in the UK when it comes to developing cancer, with one in 20 cases being attributed to excess weight. And it’s thought that the more overweight you are, and the longer you are overweight, the greater your risk.

There are 13 different cancers linked to obesity, including breast, bowel, pancreatic, ovarian and thyroid cancer. Some of these are very common, some cause very few symptoms and some are particularly hard to treat.

New research unveiled at the European Congress on obesity suggests that GLP-1 weight loss injections could help to reduce cancer risk beyond just weight loss alone by reducing inflammation caused by excess fat. It is this inflammation that can trigger cells to divide and grow uncontrollably, causing cancers to develop.

This study means that not only could weight loss injections improve your quality of life through effective weight loss, but they could also potentially minimise the likelihood of you developing some cancers in the future.

How Does Obesity Cause Cancer?

The more excess weight you have, the greater the number of fat cells you are likely to have in your body. It is these fat cells that have been linked to cancer development. They are thought to do this in three main ways:

• by affecting your hormones
• by causing inflammation
• by making it harder for your body to fight cancer

Did you know that fat cells are one of the main sources of the hormone oestrogen? This is especially true after menopause. Excess oestrogen has been linked to abnormal cell division and growth, particularly in the breast and womb, increasing the risk of these cancers.

Fat cells are also responsible for inflammation. While inflammation can protect the body in some cases, such as when you get swelling after an injury, chronic inflammation inside the body is actually harmful as it creates an environment that promotes abnormal cell growth and development, as well as damaging DNA. Both of these can increase your risk of cancer.

Finally, fat can affect the effectiveness of your immune system, making it harder to fight cancer and other diseases.

It’s important to clarify that it’s fat cells that are directly linked to cancer growth and not weight. Some professional athletes and bodybuilders can be technically classed as overweight or obese based on Body Mass Index (BMI). However, their weight is normally caused by muscle rather than fat cells.

Studies have shown that the more obese you are, and the longer you carry that excess weight for, the greater your risk is of developing some cancers. This means that the sooner you can reduce your weight to a healthy level, the better it will be for your long-term health.

Weight Loss Injections And Their Unexpected Cancer Benefits

A new study published in eClinical Medicine and presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025, held in May this year) found that weight loss injections like Mounjaro and WeGovy could have anti-cancer benefits beyond simply weight reduction. In this study, researchers tracked 6,000 adults with obesity and diabetes for 7.5 years and found that despite patients who had had weight loss surgery losing more weight overall, both groups had similar cancer rates, with injections showing 41% greater cancer prevention when adjusted for weight loss differences.

Dr. Yael Wolff Sagy, co-lead author of the study from Clalit Health Services in Tel-Aviv, Israel, stated, “we do not yet fully understand how GLP-1s work, but this study adds to the growing evidence that weight loss alone cannot completely account for the metabolic, anti-cancer, and many other benefits that these medications provide”.

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How GLP-1 Medications May Fight Cancer

We now know that chronic inflammation is a key cause of cancer development. Both Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Wegovy (semaglutide) have been shown to reduce inflammation levels in the body, which could be instrumental in reducing the risk of some cancers. “Biolocally, this makes sense as targeting GLP-1 dampens down inflammation, one of the hallmarks of cancer”, remarks Professor Mark Lawler, internationally renowned cancer expert from Queen’s University, Belfast.

Both of these drugs can also help improve insulin sensitivity - which can further help reduce systemic (whole body) inflammation, creating a less favourable environment for cancer development and progression. This is in addition to helping stabilise blood sugar levels, reducing hunger cravings and supporting overall weight loss.

This report led to a team of 54 international experts across 12 different countries calling for weight loss drugs to be trialled as a priority for cancer prevention. As a result, UK researchers are now planning for large-scale clinical trials to investigate the potential of weight loss injections as a tool to combat cancer.

“This is an exciting development”, states Dr. Donald Grant, GP and Clinical Advisor at The Independent Pharmacy. “With cancer cases rising year on year, any drug development that shows promise for preventing cases and improving health outcomes is welcome news and should be explored as a matter of priority”.

Which Cancers Could Be Prevented?

There are some cancers that are more closely linked to obesity than others. These include some very common cancers: breast (the most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 15% of all new cancer cases), colorectal (the 4th most common cancer in the UK) and uterine (the 4th most common cancer in women in the UK with 9,700 new cases diagnosed every year), as well as less common cancers like:

• bowel
• pancreatic
• oesophageal
• gallbladder
• womb
• ovarian
• kidney
• liver
• upper stomach
• myeloma
• meningioma
• thyroid

With so many different cancers linked to excess weight, there’s the very real potential that weight loss medications could help to prevent multiple cancers in individuals, as well as single cancer incidences.

It’ll come as no surprise that maintaining a healthy weight is recommended to help reduce your risk of many diseases and conditions, including cancer. While weight loss medications aren’t recommended for everyone, they are proven to be an effective way of reducing excess weight in people who are obese, which in turn could provide additional health benefits. As we now know from the study revealed in the European Congress on Obesity in May 2025, early indications suggest that weight loss injections like Mounjaro and Wegovy may offer benefits beyond weight loss. While these medications are currently only licensed for weight loss in the UK, we could see them used in cancer prevention in the future.

What's Next?

If you’re interested in using either Mounjaro or Wegovy to help you lose weight, it’s essential that you consult with a licensed healthcare professional first. A weight loss consultation will help ensure that you choose the right medication to help you safely achieve your weight loss goals. Our friendly, discreet and knowledgeable team of UK licensed clinicians are here to help. Contact us today and take the first steps towards better health.

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