United States: In the new research, taking an innovative weight loss pill at once might assist super obese patients lose enough effective weight to qualify for bariatric surgery, as reported by HealthDay.
Study Highlights Potential of GLP-1 Agonist Drugs
Obesity and a BMI of 70 and over can substantially increase the possibility of developing some complications during or after surgery in individuals who are not so overweight.
Reducing the risk related to surgery and weight loss can be achieved before the surgery, but up to now, there has been nothing that can effectively assist the patients in losing that amount of weight, which is necessary to make a difference, researchers explain.
Addressing Surgical Risks with Pre-Surgery Weight Loss
However, there are new GLP-1 agonist drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound that have been revealed to assist people in losing weight within a short time.
In this trial, researchers identified 113 morbidly obese patients and divided them into one arm that received a single GLP-1 drug, another arm that received more than one GLP-1 drug, and a third arm that received a medically supervised diet and exercise program. The mean length of stay was found to be 73 days.
Patients on multiple drugs recorded the highest percentage weight loss of 13% of their total body weight.
One GLP-1 drug made people lose slightly more than 8% of their weight, while diet and exercise alone made participants shed 6% of their body weight.
These results were discussed Thursday during the yearly meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery held in San Diego.
Expert Insights
“Combining anti-obesity medications may achieve much greater pre-surgery weight loss than other methods for those with extreme obesity,” said researcher Dr. Phil Schauer, director of the Metamor Metabolic Institute at Pennington Biomedical in Baton Rouge, La. “Many patients who would otherwise be considered ‘too sick for surgery’ may now qualify.”
Current data reveal that over 42% of Americans are obese, according to background notes by the researchers.
The GLP-1 drugs act by copying one of the hormones that control the regulation of glycemic levels, suppress appetite, and slow down stomach emptying.
Future Research
“More studies are needed to determine the optimal role of GLP-1s before and after metabolic and bariatric surgery among different patient groups,” Dr. Marina Kurian, president to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, said in a meeting news release, as reported by HealthDay.
“Obesity must be viewed like other chronic diseases, where sometimes more than one therapy is necessary over time and for different reasons,” added Kurian, who was not involved in the study.
As this study was conducted and reported in a medical meeting, its results should be viewed as preliminary until the data has been peer-reviewed for publication.