{"id":3625,"date":"2026-09-09T11:26:56","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T11:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/?p=3625"},"modified":"2026-09-09T11:26:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T11:26:56","slug":"post-bariatric-surgery-weight-loss-appears-unimpeded-by-glp-1-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/?p=3625","title":{"rendered":"Post-bariatric surgery weight loss appears unimpeded by GLP-1 use"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"ArticleContent\">\n<div class=\"article__below-title\">\n<div class=\" article__posted-date\">\n<p>September 09, 2026<\/p>\n<p>3 min read<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mobile-trust-box\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-5 d-xl-none\">\n<div class=\"trust-box\">\n<div class=\"trust-box-logo d-none d-md-block\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/h5\/feature\/news\/publogos\/hgld\/healio_gastro.svg?la=en&amp;h=40&amp;w=152&amp;hash=2C654A538F2E250F5183D42A89FE0EC0\" class=\"logo-img\" height=\"40\" alt=\"Healio Logo - Gastroenterology\" width=\"152\"\/>\n          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 offset-md-1 offset-xl-0 col-xl-12\">\n<div class=\"email-alert-button-wrapper d-none\" data-component=\"EmailTopicAlert\" data-module=\"Subspecialty Email Topic Alerts Top\" data-manage-email-link=\"\/footer\/account-information\/my-account\/email-subscriptions-and-alerts#emailAlerts\">\n  <hidden data-setting-item=\"d265901d-6d37-49c7-a8f6-c7bf19a02509\"\/><br \/>\n  <hidden data-crm-source=\"Subspecialty Topic Alert\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"email-alert-button d-none\" data-topic-button=\"not-subscribed\">\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n      <span data-module-track-action=\"Email Alerts TOP_Click_Healio News Article\" data-module-track-label=\"Email Alerts TOP_Healio News Article\">&#13;<br \/>\n        <i class=\"fas fa-plus-circle\"\/>&#13;<br \/>\n        Add topic to email alerts&#13;<br \/>\n      <\/span>&#13;\n    <\/p>\n<div class=\"email-alert-inner collapse u98733d09f5e74e03a23df5ee012121b1\">\n<div class=\"email-alert-dialogue\">\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n          Receive an email when new articles are posted on <span data-content=\"topic-title\"\/>&#13;\n        <\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none\" data-sign-up-type=\"unknown\">\n          Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on <span data-content=\"topic-title\"\/>.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>      <button type=\"button\" class=\"btn btn-primary\" data-loading-text=\"Loading &lt;i class=\" fa=\"\" fa-spinner=\"\" fa-spin=\"\">&#8220;&#13;<br \/>\n              data-action=&#8221;subscribe&#8221;&gt;&#13;<br \/>\n        Subscribe&#13;<br \/>\n      <\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"d-none\" data-topic-modal=\"failed\">    <strong>We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/news\/gastroenterology\/20260908\/mailto:customerservice@slackinc.com\">customerservice@slackinc.com<\/a>.<\/strong>  <\/p>\n<p><button data-dismiss=\"modal\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-lg btn-block\">Back to Healio<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Key takeaways:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>GLP-1 users and nonusers achieved comparable total body weight loss 1 year after bariatric surgery.<\/li>\n<li>Diabetes control and postsurgical complications also were similar between groups.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Preoperative GLP-1 receptor agonist use did not impact bariatric surgery outcomes, including weight loss at 1 year, diabetes control and postsurgical complications, according to a research letter published in <i>JAMA Surgery<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>GLP-1s have become an <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/news\/gastroenterology\/20260506\/gastroenterologists-could-bring-structure-and-safety-to-unchecked-glp1-use\" id=\"rId9\" target=\"_blank\">integral part<\/a> of obesity care, but clinicians still have questions about how pharmacologic therapy and surgical intervention interact.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"figure article__og-image\">&#13;\n    <picture>&#13;<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.healio.comhttps:\/\/www.healio.comhttps:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/slack-news\/gastroenterology\/misc\/infographics\/2026\/0926\/hgi0826huynh_graphic_01_web.webp?w=476\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\">&#13;<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/slack-news\/gastroenterology\/misc\/infographics\/2026\/0926\/hgi0826huynh_graphic_01_web.webp?w=800\" media=\"(max-width: 992px)\">&#13;<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/slack-news\/gastroenterology\/misc\/infographics\/2026\/0926\/hgi0826huynh_graphic_01_web.webp?w=595\" media=\"(max-width: 1200px)\">&#13;<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.healio.comhttps:\/\/www.healio.comhttps:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/slack-news\/gastroenterology\/misc\/infographics\/2026\/0926\/hgi0826huynh_graphic_01_web.webp?w=476\" media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\">&#13;<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.healio.comhttps:\/\/www.healio.comhttps:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/slack-news\/gastroenterology\/misc\/infographics\/2026\/0926\/hgi0826huynh_graphic_01_web.webp?w=476\">&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/slack-news\/gastroenterology\/misc\/infographics\/2026\/0926\/hgi0826huynh_graphic_01_web.jpg?w=800\" alt=\"Quote from Jonathan Carter, MD\" class=\"figure-img img-fluid\" width=\"800\"\/>&#13;<br \/>\n    <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>&#13;<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">&#13;<br \/>\n      &#13;<br \/>\n    <\/figcaption>&#13;<br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<p>\u201cSince the most effective treatment for obesity remains bariatric surgery, many have wondered how best to combine bariatric surgery with GLP-1 RAs and whether being on a GLP-1 RA affects the results of subsequent surgery,\u201d study author <b>Jonathan Carter, MD,<\/b> bariatric surgeon and professor of surgery at UCSF Medical Center, told Healio.<\/p>\n<p>Carter and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of 383 patients who underwent bariatric surgery at UCSF between 2022 and 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Before surgery, 92 patients (mean age, 44 years; 78% women; baseline BMI, 43 kg\/m<sup>2<\/sup>) had initiated <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/news\/gastroenterology\/20260630\/qa-gastroenterologists-uniquely-positioned-to-embrace-treating-obesity\" id=\"rId10\" target=\"_blank\">GLP-1 therapy<\/a>, the most common of which was semaglutide, and 291 had not (mean age, 44 years; 80% women; baseline BMI, 44 kg\/m<sup>2<\/sup> ). Those taking GLP-1s were advised to discontinue use after surgery to mitigate risk for vomiting.<\/p>\n<p>The majority of patients in both groups underwent sleeve gastrectomy (83% of GLP-1 users and 88% of nonusers) vs. gastric bypass.<\/p>\n<p>Total body weight loss percentage at 1 year served as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included surgical complications and postoperative HbA1c.<\/p>\n<p>According to results, total body weight loss at 1 year was comparable between GLP-1 users and nonusers (mean, 24% vs. 25%), as was excess body weight loss (mean, 60% vs. 62%), and did not reach statistical significance.<\/p>\n<p>Differences between groups in operative time, length of hospital stay, ED visits within 30 days of surgery and surgical complications also were not statistically significant.<\/p>\n<p>Multivariable analysis \u2014 adjusted for age, sex, race\/ethnicity, BMI and diabetes, among other factors \u2014 showed preoperative GLP-1 use did not predict total body weight loss at 1 year (beta=0.17).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGiven that one mechanism of how <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/clinical-guidance\/obesity\/bariatric-interventions-treatment\" id=\"rId11\" target=\"_blank\">bariatric surgery<\/a> works is via GLP-1 augmentation, I thought that weight loss in patients on GLP-1s taken preoperatively might \u2018steal\u2019 from the weight loss we see later with surgery,\u201d Carter said. \u201cIn our study, we saw no such effect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose taking GLP-1s, who presumably lost weight from the medications before surgery, turned out to lose additional weight the same as the GLP-1-naive patients,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Diabetes control \u201cwas excellent in both groups,\u201d according to the researchers, with 1-year HbA1c levels of 5.4% and 5.3% for GLP-1 users and nonusers, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>Carter and colleagues identified independent associations between greater total body weight loss at 1 year and higher baseline BMI (beta=0.29; <i>P<\/i> &lt;0.001) and male sex (beta=2.67; <i>P<\/i> =0.014). Lower total body weight loss was independently associated with diabetes (beta=4.49; <i>P<\/i> &lt;.001) and sleeve gastrectomy (beta=4.72; <i>P<\/i> &lt;.001).<\/p>\n<p>Among the 15 GLP-1 users who resumed treatment postoperatively, total body weight loss at 1 year was similar to that of patients who did not take GLP-1s (mean, 22% vs. 25%).<\/p>\n<p>The study had several limitations, including lack of data on duration of GLP-1 use prior to surgery, as well as preoperative weight loss attributable to GLP-1s.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOurs was a single-center study of <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/news\/endocrinology\/20260717\/compounded-semaglutide-tirzepatide-continued-to-be-sold-after-shortages-ended\" id=\"rId12\" target=\"_blank\">patients mostly on semaglutide<\/a>, and very few were on tirzepatide,\u201d Carter said. \u201cThe data on this question will evolve over time with larger studies, newer drugs and a better understanding of how much weight was lost at medicine initiation and then [with] surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Future studies should investigate optimal methods to combine and sequence pharmacological and surgical aspects of obesity therapy to maximize weight loss, according to the researchers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPatients on GLP-1s can go on to have terrific results with bariatric surgery to lose additional weight,\u201d Carter told Healio. \u201cIn other words, it is not a zero-sum game; the weight loss of GLP-1s and then bariatric surgery seems to be additive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should not think of obesity treatment as a competition between medicine and surgery. Rather, combination therapy is proving to be the best for our patients.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>For more information:<\/h2>\n<p>      <b>Jonathan Carter<\/b><b>, MD,<\/b> can be reached at <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/news\/gastroenterology\/20260908\/mailto:jonathan.carter@ucsf.edu\" id=\"rId13\" target=\"_blank\">jonathan.carter@ucsf.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article__content--footer\">\n<div class=\"publisher-logo\">\n    <span>Published by:<\/span><br \/>\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/h5\/feature\/news\/publogos\/hgld\/healio_gastro.svg?la=en&amp;h=40&amp;w=152&amp;hash=2C654A538F2E250F5183D42A89FE0EC0\" class=\"logo-img\" height=\"40\" alt=\"Healio Logo - Gastroenterology\" width=\"152\"\/>\n  <\/div>\n<p><!-- Healio AI Widget --><\/p>\n<div class=\"healio-ai-component-inline\" data-no-ads=\"true\" data-module-track-category=\"Healio AI\" data-module-track-action=\"Click\" data-module-track-label=\"Access Healio Ai from component - News_AI Component - In-Content (all devices)\">\n<div class=\"healio-ai-content\">\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/m3.healio.com\/~\/media\/images\/healio-ai\/healio-ai_logo.svg\" alt=\"Healio AI\" class=\"healio-ai-logo\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ask a clinical question<\/strong> and tap into <strong>Healio AI&#8217;s knowledge<\/strong> base.<\/p>\n<ul>&#13;<\/p>\n<li>PubMed, enrolling\/recruiting trials, guidelines<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li>Clinical Guidance, Healio CME, FDA news<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li>Healio&#8217;s exclusive daily news coverage of clinical data<\/li>\n<p>&#13;\n    <\/ul>\n<p>    <button class=\"healio-ai-button\" onclick=\"window.location.href=\" https:=\"\">Learn more<\/button>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"email-alert-button-wrapper d-none\" data-component=\"EmailTopicAlert\" data-module=\"Subspecialty Email Topic Alerts Top\" data-manage-email-link=\"\/footer\/account-information\/my-account\/email-subscriptions-and-alerts#emailAlerts\">\n  <hidden data-setting-item=\"d265901d-6d37-49c7-a8f6-c7bf19a02509\"\/><br \/>\n  <hidden data-crm-source=\"Subspecialty Topic Alert\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"email-alert-button d-none\" data-topic-button=\"not-subscribed\">\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n      <span data-module-track-action=\"Email Alerts TOP_Click_Healio News Article\" data-module-track-label=\"Email Alerts TOP_Healio News Article\">&#13;<br \/>\n        <i class=\"fas fa-plus-circle\"\/>&#13;<br \/>\n        Add topic to email alerts&#13;<br \/>\n      <\/span>&#13;\n    <\/p>\n<div class=\"email-alert-inner collapse u98733d09f5e74e03a23df5ee012121b1\">\n<div class=\"email-alert-dialogue\">\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n          Receive an email when new articles are posted on <span data-content=\"topic-title\"\/>&#13;\n        <\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none\" data-sign-up-type=\"unknown\">\n          Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on <span data-content=\"topic-title\"\/>.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>      <button type=\"button\" class=\"btn btn-primary\" data-loading-text=\"Loading &lt;i class=\" fa=\"\" fa-spinner=\"\" fa-spin=\"\">&#8220;&#13;<br \/>\n              data-action=&#8221;subscribe&#8221;&gt;&#13;<br \/>\n        Subscribe&#13;<br \/>\n      <\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"d-none\" data-topic-modal=\"failed\">    <strong>We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/news\/gastroenterology\/20260908\/mailto:customerservice@slackinc.com\">customerservice@slackinc.com<\/a>.<\/strong>  <\/p>\n<p><button data-dismiss=\"modal\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-lg btn-block\">Back to Healio<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/news\/gastroenterology\/20260908\/glp1-users-can-have-terrific-results-with-bariatric-surgery-to-lose-additional-weight\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>September 09, 2026 3 min read &#13; &#13; &#13; Add topic to email alerts&#13; &#13; &#13; Receive an email when new articles are posted on &#13; Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . &#8220;&#13; data-action=&#8221;subscribe&#8221;&gt;&#13; Subscribe&#13; We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com. Back to Healio Key takeaways: GLP-1 users and nonusers achieved comparable total body weight loss 1 year after bariatric surgery. Diabetes control and postsurgical complications also were similar between groups. Preoperative GLP-1 receptor agonist use did not impact bariatric surgery outcomes, including weight loss at 1 year, diabetes control and postsurgical complications, according to a research letter published in JAMA Surgery. GLP-1s have become an integral part of obesity care, but clinicians still have questions about how pharmacologic therapy and surgical intervention interact. &#13; &#13;&#13;&#13;&#13;&#13;&#13; &#13; &#13; &#13;&#13; &#13; &#13; \u201cSince the most effective treatment for obesity remains bariatric surgery, many have wondered how best to combine bariatric surgery with GLP-1 RAs and whether being on a GLP-1 RA affects the results of subsequent surgery,\u201d study author Jonathan Carter, MD, bariatric surgeon and professor of surgery at UCSF Medical Center, told Healio. Carter and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of 383 patients who underwent bariatric surgery at UCSF between 2022 and 2024. Before surgery, 92 patients (mean age, 44 years; 78% women; baseline BMI, 43 kg\/m2) had initiated GLP-1 therapy, the most common of which was semaglutide, and 291 had not (mean age, 44 years; 80% women; baseline BMI, 44 kg\/m2 ). Those taking GLP-1s were advised to discontinue use after surgery to mitigate risk for vomiting. The majority of patients in both groups underwent sleeve gastrectomy (83% of GLP-1 users and 88% of nonusers) vs. gastric bypass. Total body weight loss percentage at 1 year served as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included surgical complications and postoperative HbA1c. According to results, total body weight loss at 1 year was comparable between GLP-1 users and nonusers (mean, 24% vs. 25%), as was excess body weight loss (mean, 60% vs. 62%), and did not reach statistical significance. Differences between groups in operative time, length of hospital stay, ED visits within 30 days of surgery and surgical complications also were not statistically significant. Multivariable analysis \u2014 adjusted for age, sex, race\/ethnicity, BMI and diabetes, among other factors \u2014 showed preoperative GLP-1 use did not predict total body weight loss at 1 year (beta=0.17). \u201cGiven that one mechanism of how bariatric surgery works is via GLP-1 augmentation, I thought that weight loss in patients on GLP-1s taken preoperatively might \u2018steal\u2019 from the weight loss we see later with surgery,\u201d Carter said. \u201cIn our study, we saw no such effect. \u201cThose taking GLP-1s, who presumably lost weight from the medications before surgery, turned out to lose additional weight the same as the GLP-1-naive patients,\u201d he added. Diabetes control \u201cwas excellent in both groups,\u201d according to the researchers, with 1-year HbA1c levels of 5.4% and 5.3% for GLP-1 users and nonusers, respectively. Carter and colleagues identified independent associations between greater total body weight loss at 1 year and higher baseline BMI (beta=0.29; P &lt;0.001) and male sex (beta=2.67; P =0.014). Lower total body weight loss was independently associated with diabetes (beta=4.49; P &lt;.001) and sleeve gastrectomy (beta=4.72; P &lt;.001). Among the 15 GLP-1 users who resumed treatment postoperatively, total body weight loss at 1 year was similar to that of patients who did not take GLP-1s (mean, 22% vs. 25%). The study had several limitations, including lack of data on duration of GLP-1 use prior to surgery, as well as preoperative weight loss attributable to GLP-1s. \u201cOurs was a single-center study of patients mostly on semaglutide, and very few were on tirzepatide,\u201d Carter said. \u201cThe data on this question will evolve over time with larger studies, newer drugs and a better understanding of how much weight was lost at medicine initiation and then [with] surgery.\u201d Future studies should investigate optimal methods to combine and sequence pharmacological and surgical aspects of obesity therapy to maximize weight loss, according to the researchers. \u201cPatients on GLP-1s can go on to have terrific results with bariatric surgery to lose additional weight,\u201d Carter told Healio. \u201cIn other words, it is not a zero-sum game; the weight loss of GLP-1s and then bariatric surgery seems to be additive. \u201cWe should not think of obesity treatment as a competition between medicine and surgery. Rather, combination therapy is proving to be the best for our patients.\u201d For more information: Jonathan Carter, MD, can be reached at jonathan.carter@ucsf.edu. Published by: Ask a clinical question and tap into Healio AI&#8217;s knowledge base. &#13; PubMed, enrolling\/recruiting trials, guidelines &#13; Clinical Guidance, Healio CME, FDA news &#13; Healio&#8217;s exclusive daily news coverage of clinical data &#13; Learn more &#13; &#13; &#13; Add topic to email alerts&#13; &#13; &#13; Receive an email when new articles are posted on &#13; Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . &#8220;&#13; data-action=&#8221;subscribe&#8221;&gt;&#13; Subscribe&#13; We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com. 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