Overview

• Patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass lost an average of 58 pounds over two years, compared with about 12 pounds for those on GLP-1 drugs.
• Up to 70 percent of GLP-1 patients discontinue treatment within a year, driving lower effectiveness in routine clinical settings than in controlled trials.
• Those receiving bariatric surgery were 18 percent less likely to develop psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and substance abuse than GLP-1 medication users.
• GLP-1 therapies require lifelong injections to maintain weight loss, whereas surgery permanently reduces stomach size for durable results.
• Physicians recommend choosing between pharmacotherapy and surgery based on individual weight loss goals, comorbidities and willingness to commit to long-term treatment.