Did you know that some medicines might make other ones work less effectively?
That’s what a new study says about certain breast cancer drugs and weight loss medicines. This research was shared at a big conference called ENDO 2023 in Chicago, Illinois.
The study discovered that weight loss drugs don’t work as well for women who survived breast cancer and are taking a special type of breast cancer medicine, known as aromatase inhibitors.
These are compared to women who haven’t had breast cancer and aren’t taking these inhibitors.
How Aromatase Inhibitors Work
Aromatase inhibitors are used to treat or prevent some types of breast cancer. They work by blocking an enzyme, like a tiny worker in the body, called aromatase.
This enzyme helps the body produce a hormone called estrogen. By blocking aromatase, these drugs reduce the amount of estrogen in the body.
This can help to stop the growth of certain cancer cells that need estrogen.
The Problem of Weight Gain
“Many women who survived breast cancer worry about gaining weight,” says Dr. Sima Fansa from the Mayo Clinic. She mentions that research has shown that aromatase inhibitors could be linked to weight gain.
Gaining too much weight can lead to heart problems and might even make the cancer come back.
Dr. Fansa says, “This is the first time we’ve looked at how weight loss medicines work for breast cancer survivors who are taking aromatase inhibitors.”
The findings show that we need better ways to help these women manage their weight. If they can maintain a healthy weight, it could improve their overall health and their quality of life.
The study included 99 women. 63 of them had survived breast cancer and were taking aromatase inhibitors and weight loss medicines.
The other 36 women hadn’t had breast cancer. They weren’t taking the cancer drugs but were using weight loss medicines.
The women who had survived breast cancer and were taking aromatase inhibitors lost less weight over time than the other women.
For example, after three months, the women with breast cancer lost about 3.7% of their weight, while the other women lost about 5.6%.
Dr. Fansa thinks that this difference might be because aromatase inhibitors can reduce muscle mass and increase fat in the body. These changes could affect how well weight loss medicines work.
If you care about cancer, please read studies about the causes of cancer, and vitamin D supplements could strongly reduce cancer death.
For more information about cancer, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects the risks of heart disease and cancer, and results showing low-fat diet could be key to stopping cancer growth.
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