ASMBS: Metabolic, Bariatric Surgery Bests GLP-1 Receptor Agonists for 12-Month Weight Loss

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By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com

via HealthDay

FRIDAY, May 8, 2026 -- Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) shows significantly greater weight loss and comorbidity remission compared with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) at 12 months, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, held from May 3 to 7 in San Antonio.

John Morton, M.D., M.P.H., from the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to examine current evidence comparing the effectiveness of MBS and GLP-1 RAs.

Based on 30 studies (433,465 patients: MBS, 199,571; GLP-1 RAs, 233,894), the researchers found that total weight loss at 12 months with MBS was 20.39 percentage points higher than with GLP-1 RAs. For type 2 diabetes remission, there were seven studies showing a 42.2 percent higher remission rate for MBS than GLP-1 RAs at 12 months. Similarly, using weighted means from six studies, hypertension and hyperlipidemia had 12.8 and 20.8 percentage points higher remission rates with MBS versus GLP-1 RAs.

"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," Morton said in a statement. "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."

Morton disclosed ties to Teleflex, Olympus, Novo Nordisk, Regeneron, and Boehringer Ingelheim.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2026-05-09 02:11

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