An analysis of more than 430,000 patients found metabolic and bariatric surgery results in 20 percentage-point greater weight loss than GLP-1 receptor agonist use, according to an article in the April issue of Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases.
Results were measured after one year. Researchers reviewed 30 clinical studies tracking surgery and GLP-1 use. Each study had its own methodology.
Seven studies showed 42.2% higher Type 2 diabetes remission for metabolic and bariatric surgery than GLP-1 prescriptions at 12 months. Based on six studies’ weighted means, hypertension and hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) remission rates were 12.8 and 20.8 percentage points higher, respectively, for the operations versus GLP-1s.
“While GLP-1 medications are an important advance, they do not match the magnitude or durability of outcomes achieved with metabolic and bariatric surgery, which remains one of the most underutilized treatments in medicine,” study co-author John Morton, MD, professor of surgery and vice chair of quality for surgery at the New Haven, Conn.-based Yale School of Medicine, said. “Once the medications are discontinued, whether due to side effects, cost or other factors, their benefits often diminish or disappear, whereas the benefits of surgery endure.”
The analysis follows other research indicating strong bariatric surgery performance relative to GLP-1s. Still, bariatric surgery volume has taken a hit amid GLP-1 popularity.
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