A recent 10-year study shows that patients who underwent metabolic surgery lost an average of 21.6% of their body weight, significantly more than the 6.8% weight loss seen in those on GLP-1 medicines, and also experienced better blood sugar control.

Surgical patients had a greater improvement in hemoglobin A1c (-0.86%) compared to medication-only patients (-0.23%), and required fewer prescriptions for managing diabetes.

Despite advances in GLP-1 medications, the study emphasizes that metabolic surgery offers additional benefits, including increased survival, and should remain an important treatment option.

A large study by Cleveland Clinic, published in Nature Medicine, found that bariatric surgery provides greater long-term health benefits for obese patients with type 2 diabetes compared to GLP-1 receptor agonist medications.

Patients who underwent surgery experienced a 32% reduction in risk of death, along with significantly lower risks of major heart problems, serious kidney disease, and diabetes-related eye damage.

The study, published in Nature Medicine, tracked 3,932 adults over 10 years, with 1,657 undergoing surgery and 2,275 treated with GLP-1 medicines like liraglutide and semaglutide.

While the study highlights the benefits of surgery, it notes limitations such as its observational design and the fact that it did not focus on newer GLP-1 therapies like semaglutide and tirzepatide, indicating a need for further research.

Surgical patients also required fewer prescriptions for managing blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes, indicating overall better metabolic health.