Try This – 4 Things I’m Paying Attention To

Try This community,  I have four really great shares for you this week. 

High level:

1. Do weight-loss drugs impact cancer outcomes? We’ll dive into it. 

2. A crazy stat for anyone who has anxiety. 

3. Small amounts of exercise can change your brain.

4. A fun and sweet picture from my family and me. 

Let’s get started. 

Number 1: New GLP Drugs Seem to Improve Cancer Outcomes

When GLP drugs first started becoming popular, the big concern among many naturalists was that one day there would be some hidden downside, like these new classes of drugs increasing your risk of cancer.

But as these drugs became more popular, a lot of open-minded researchers and doctors started getting excited that these medications could actually lower your risk of cancer by reducing obesity and improving your metabolic health.

Retatrutide is a new triple agonist (the next evolution of these drugs) by Eli Lilly, and the breaking data on stalling cancer progression is pretty wild!

Here’s a summary of a recent Wall Street Journal article (subscription needed) from biomed scientist Avi Roy:

In one study that included 12,111 participants, there were seven tumor types tested. GLP-1 users had half the lung cancer and breast cancer metastasis rate (10% versus 22%).

In another study on colon cancer, patients taking GLP-1 medications had significantly lower five-year mortality rates compared to non-users (15.5% vs. 37.1%).

Researchers are now studying GLP-1 medications far beyond blood sugar and weight loss. Clinical trials have linked them to lower rates of heart disease, slower kidney decline, improvements in sleep apnea, reduced liver fat, and even lower rates of addictive behaviors. Scientists are beginning to wonder whether these drugs may influence deeper pathways tied to inflammation, metabolism, and cellular health throughout the body.

In Avi’s exact words, “Tumors express GLP-1 receptors. Activate them, and NF-kB drops, apoptosis rises. The drug isn’t just shrinking fat. It’s talking directly to cancer. One drug class. Designed for blood sugar. The biology keeps finding uses the designers didn’t predict.”

Pretty wild and amazing!

Number 2: Most Worries Don’t Happen

A good reminder for all of us from Brandon Luu:

This is not meant to take away all worries or say that worry has no place, but sometimes it’s important to remember that more often than not, the things we worry about most don’t happen. 

If you have any chronic worriers in your life, send this to them. It will hopefully make them feel a little less worried!

Number 3: Does Being a “Weekend Warrior” Have Any Benefit? 

We tend to think exercise only “counts” if it’s done consistently throughout the week. But a new study (summarized by neurologist David Perlmutter here) suggests the brain may care more about total movement than perfect scheduling.

Researchers looked at over 10,000 adults and compared people who exercised regularly throughout the week with “weekend warriors”—those who packed most of their movement into just one or two days. Over roughly 16 years, both groups showed similar reductions in risk for mild cognitive impairment, a condition that often comes before dementia.

In another large study using activity trackers from more than 75,000 adults, weekend warriors also showed lower risks of dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and even Parkinson’s disease compared to inactive people.

The takeaway? If your schedule makes daily workouts feel impossible, don’t let perfection stop you from moving at all. The research suggests that hitting the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per week—even if it happens mostly on weekends—can still have major benefits for your brain and overall health.

So this is your reminder that a long hike, pickleball game, bike ride, or workout class on the weekend still counts. Your brain doesn’t care if it happened on a Tuesday morning or Sunday afternoon.

Number 4: A Fun Life Update from My Family and Me

Many of you know that I’ve recently become a dad! Here’s a photo of me, my wife Yasmin, and our baby boy.

Thanks for being part of my community! 

See you next week for more shares. 

Much love,
Dhru Purohit 

The information in this newsletter is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice; please consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.