Among 383 primary bariatric cases from 2022-2024, people who arrived on a GLP-1 matched peers on 12-month total weight loss after adjustment.
What happened
Bariatric News summarized a University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine retrospective review of primary metabolic and bariatric operations done from 2022 to 2024. Of 383 patients, 92 (24%) used a GLP-1 receptor agonist before surgery; tirzepatide was counted with that group. Semaglutide was the most common agent, and most people were not yet on a maximum dose.
At 12 months, mean total body weight loss was about 24% with prior GLP-1 use and 25% without it. Excess weight-loss means were about 60% versus 62%. After adjustment for age, starting BMI, sex, race/ethnicity, diabetes, smoking history, and procedure, preoperative GLP-1 use was not an independent predictor of total loss. Diabetes and sleeve gastrectomy each predicted smaller losses; higher starting BMI and male sex predicted larger losses.
Operative time, length of stay, early emergency visits, and complications did not differ in a statistically clear way. Twelve-month A1c values were low in both groups. Only 15 people restarted a GLP-1 during the first year after surgery in this series.
What it means
For patients already taking a GLP-1 who later choose surgery, this single-center signal lines up with the larger NYU ASMBS abstract: recent medication use did not appear to erase surgical weight outcomes at one year. It is also a reminder that diabetes status and operation type still matter more than the simple yes/no of preoperative medication in this chart set.
What it does not mean
It does not prove that holding or continuing a drug around surgery is always safe without a clinician plan. It does not rank brands, and it is not a trial of intentional prehabilitation on maximum-dose therapy. Coverage is via Bariatric News, not the full journal PDF.
Sources
- JAMA Surgery research letter, Peng et al., preoperative GLP-1 use
- Bariatric News summary of the same UCSF letter
Related guide
GLP-1 medications Information Center hub
Related discussion
GLP-1 Weight Loss Medications forum
Educational information only. Not medical advice. Do not start, stop, or change treatment from this brief.