Bariatric surgery surpasses lifestyle changes and medications for long-term weight loss

A new study presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) reveals that bariatric surgery is far more effective at maintaining weight loss compared to lifestyle changes and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications.

This study, the first of its kind, synthesised data from six randomized controlled trials, three systematic reviews, and over 40,000 patients.

Key findings suggested that lifestyle interventions were the least effective method, producing an average total body weight loss of 7.4 per cent. Participants regained their pre-intervention weight within an average of 4.1 years.

Researchers also found that GLP-1 medications led to more promising results, with weight loss of 10.6 per cent and 21.1 per cent, respectively. However, half of the lost weight was regained within a year after stopping treatment, and weight loss plateaued at 14.9 per cent for semaglutide and 22.5 per cent for tirzepatide with continued use.

Gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy yielded the most significant results, with an average weight loss of 31.9 per cent and 29.5 per cent after one year. Even after accounting for some weight regain over the next decade, patients maintained around 25 per cent total body weight loss long-term.

Dr. Megan Jenkins, a bariatric surgeon at NYU Langone Medical Center, emphasised that surgery and medication should not be seen as competing treatments but as complementary tools in a comprehensive, patient-centered approach.

Dr. Sarah Samreen, Director of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery at The University of Texas Medical Branch, praised the study for its robust dataset and echoed the call for more research comparing the cost-effectiveness of surgery versus lifelong medication use.