More U.S. Teens Getting Weight-Loss Surgery

Key TakeawaysMore U.S. teens are getting weight-loss surgeryThe procedures increased 15% between 2021 and 2023At the same time, the surgeries decreased among adults.WEDNESDAY, May 14, 2025 (HealthDay News) — More U.S. teenagers are getting weight-loss surgery, despite the discovery of new drugs like Ozempic/Wegovy that help people drop pounds surgery-free, a new study says.Weight loss surgeries for teens increased 15% between 2021 and 2023, researchers reported earlier this month in The Journal of Pediatrics.Further, much of the increase in weight-loss surgery is due to its increased popularity among Hispanic and Black teenagers, groups disproportionately affected by severe obesity compared to white teens, researchers said.“The number of U.S. adolescents having access to this treatment that we know is safe and effective is the highest it’s ever been, and hopefully it’s the start of a positive weight loss journey that will get them to better health,” lead researcher Sarah Messiah, director of the Child and Adolescent Population Health Program at UT Southwestern Medical Center, said in a news release.About 9% of U.S. teenagers have severe obesity, increasing their risk of health problems like sleep apnea and heart, liver and kidney disease, researchers said in background notes.Metabolic and bariatric surgery is still considered the gold standard for sustained weight loss in teens and adults, researchers said, despite the advent of GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound.However, researchers said the drugs aren’t yet covered by Medicaid for obesity treatment in most states and have limited coverage through private insurance, making them tough to obtain — especially for teens.For the study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 1,000 medical centers accredited to perform weight-loss surgery in the United States.Their findings showed that weight loss surgeries among teens increased from 1,376 patients in 2021 to 1,581 in 2023. On average, teens undergoing these surgeries were 17 years old.Gastric sleeve operations dominated these procedures, representing 86% of the surgeries performed, researchers found.In gastric sleeve surgery, a surgeon removes most of the stomach, leaving only a banana-shaped section that’s closed with staples, according to the National Institutes of Health.The surgery reduces the amount of food the stomach can hold, helping people feel full sooner. It is thought to possibly affect hormones or bacteria involved in appetite and metabolism.Weight-loss surgeries for Hispanic teens rose from 398 in 2021 to 586 in 2023. Likewise, Black teens saw an increase from 266 to 316 procedures during the same period.At the same time, the surgeries fell slightly for white teens, from 543 to 525.Researchers also found that about one-third of teens undergoing weight-loss surgery had a body mass index (BMI) of more than 50. Severe obesity is considered 30 or greater. (BMI is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight.)“Severe obesity is very common, much more common than it should be, and it is unlikely to respond to lifestyle interventions alone,” senior researcher Dr. Sarah Barlow, a professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern, said in a news release.“I think the relative number of bariatric surgeries is still pretty low, given the potential benefit and need among kids,” Barlow added.Weight-loss surgeries rose among U.S. adults from 2021 to 2022, from 209,829 to 229,159 procedures, but then fell to 216,323 procedures in 2023. This is likely due to more adults taking GLP-1 drugs, researchers said.More informationThe National Institutes of Health has more on weight-loss surgeries.SOURCE: UT Southwestern Medical Center, May 5, 2025 .What This Means For YouParents of teenagers with severe obesity should talk to their doctor about whether weight-loss surgery could help..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter