GLP-1 medications and the risk of thyroid cancer

GLP1s and thyroid cancer. Let's talk about it. We need to go a little deep. I want you guys to bear with me. I want to lay the foundation as there is no one size fits all. The right answer for one person can never be the right answer for everyone. Which is why medicine is built on risks, benefits, alternatives, and allowing the patient to choose and make an informed decision for themselves. But I will give you my viewpoint on this and what I've teased out of research and through our own weight loss program. When these meds were released for weight loss, there was a huge media push and sort of propaganda push and fear around thyroid cancer. Studies in humans do not show actual cases of medullary thyroid carcinoma. That is the specific kind of cancer that in rat studies was a concern. Obviously our thyroid glands are not exactly the same as rats thyroid glands. And so we're not seeing that in humans, though we do still formally contraindicate these medications in people who have a history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or, or a family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma. Medullary thyroid carcinoma accounts for about 1 to 3% of all cases of thyroid cancer. What does that mean? It means it is very rare. Okay, so that is what the studies show about that in particular. Then there was talk of, oh well, these meds cause thyroid cancer in general. No. So a study came out in the fall analyzing risk for thyroid cancer aside from medullary thyroid carcinoma. I can't remember if that one was actually specifically brought into this study or not, but basically it was determined that these medications create less risk for thyroid cancer than something like insulin, which does not create risk for thyroid cancer. It's less than 1%. So again, let's analyze that data and then let's extrapolate it and compare it to and weigh risk versus benefit because that's what you have to do in medicine. So your thyroid cancer risk is less than that on insulin, which is not even a risk factor for thyroid cancer. Compared to these medications reduce risk for cardiovascular events, heart attack, stroke, the number one killer of men and women worldwide by 20 to 30%. So we need to not buy in, at least in my opinion, not buy into fear based propaganda and rhetoric that is just regurgitating all of these fear based things. And let's actually talk about the facts and let's compare risk for thyroid cancer to risk reduction, death by cardiovascular event and heart attack, stroke. Those two risks don't compare. They're not comparable. The most likely thing that will kill you is a cardiovascular event. There is not anything else, really, that reduces your risk of that by 20 to 30%. Cardiovascular events kill more people than all cancers combined. So take that for whatever it's worth. I also get the question a lot about if I've had a history of thyroid cancer, can I take these meds? You have to sort that out with your doctor. And this is evolving, where more and more doctors are learning more and more about these medications and feeling more comfortable and confident in them. Having a history of thyroid cancer is not a contraindication to being on these medications. Again, with the exception of medullary thyroid carcinoma, which is very rare. I have used them in patients with a history of thyroid cancer, and I've even consulted with other physicians and thyroid surgeons that also feel comfortable doing the same. But again, everything is about weighing risk versus benefit, and that is unique per person, per patient. So. But I at least want to say, lay out those facts. Say absolutely. Hashimoto's and thyroid conditions are not a contraindication to these mets.