ASMBS: Metabolic, Bariatric Surgery After GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Use Boosts Weight Loss

THURSDAY, May 7, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Preoperative weight loss with medications does not meaningfully diminish the effectiveness of bariatric surgery, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, held from May 3 to 7 in San Antonio.Karan R. Chhabra, M.D., from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues queried the Epic Cosmos database for adults who filled prescriptions for semaglutide or tirzepatide (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists [GLP-1 RAs]) within 180 days of bariatric surgery, experienced ≥5 percent total weight loss (TWL) post-GLP-1 RA use, and subsequently underwent Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass (RYGB; 2,395 participants) or sleeve gastrectomy (SG; 4,315 participants) from January 2019 to March 2025. Controls included patients with no prior GLP-1 RA use, but who underwent RYGB (~40,000 individuals) and SG (~87,000 individuals).The researchers found that mean TWL after RYGB was 25.4, 26.4, and 26.6 percent at one, two, and three years, respectively. Mean TWL after SG was 20.0, 20.1, and 20.5 percent, respectively. Preoperative GLP-1 RA-associated weight loss was just over 8 percent. TWL after RYGB in the non-GLP-1 RA group was 28.2, 29.2, and 28.3 percent, respectively, at one, two, and three years, while TWL after SG was 23.0, 22.6, and 21.8 percent, respectively. By 12 to 36 months after surgery, among patients with diabetes, 45.8 percent in the RYGB group and 61.4 percent in the SG group resumed taking GLP-1 RAs."Patients are increasingly having surgery after GLP-1 therapy, making it important to understand how prior medical treatment may influence outcomes," Chhabra said in a statement. "Our findings show that metabolic and bariatric surgery continues to deliver substantial and durable weight loss in this population."Press ReleaseMore Information.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

ASMBS: Metabolic, Bariatric Surgery After GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Use Boosts Weight Loss

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