Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2025 Mar;35(3):1127-1134.
doi: 10.1007/s11695-025-07723-w. Epub 2025 Feb 5.

The Efficacy of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Receptor Agonists for Insufficient Weight Loss or Regain After Metabolic/Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Joseph Kellett  1 , Sara S Soliman  1 , Alicia Podwojniak  1 , Michelle Minkanic  1 , Gaurav Kumar  1 , Brandon Goodwin  1 , Hyo J Yang  2 , Jana K Elsawwah  2 , Zoltan H Nemeth  3   4
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

The Efficacy of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Receptor Agonists for Insufficient Weight Loss or Regain After Metabolic/Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Joseph Kellett et al. Obes Surg. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is a successful surgical option for obesity. However, many patients can experience insufficient weight loss and weight regain post-operatively. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists have become available for effective weight loss treatment due to their effects of suppressing appetite, slowing gastric emptying, and promoting fat loss. This systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy of using GLP-1 agonists to treat insufficient weight loss or regain after metabolic/bariatric surgery. Pooled analysis demonstrated that GLP-1 agonists have a moderate effect on weight loss after failed weight loss or weight regain following MBS, with a Cohen's d-score of 0.470 (p ≤ 0.001). GLP-1 agonists show promise and deserve additional research as part of the standard of care following MBS with insufficient weight loss.

Keywords: Body mass index (BMI); Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1); Meta-analysis; Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS); Obesity; Weight loss and weight regain.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Adult obesity facts [Internet]. Centers for disease control and prevention; [cited 2024 Jul 24]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/php/data-research/adult-obesity-facts.html . Accessed 15 May 2024.
    1. Ward ZJ, Bleich SN, Long MW, et al. Association of body mass index with health care expenditures in the United States by age and sex. PLoS ONE. 2021;16(3):e0247307. - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Perdomo CM, Cohen RV, Sumithran P, et al. Contemporary medical, device, and surgical therapies for obesity in adults. Lancet. 2023;401(10382):1116–30. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Azim S, Kashyap SR. Bariatric surgery: pathophysiology and outcomes. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2016;45(4):905–21. - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Eisenberg D, Shikora SA, Aarts E, et al. 2022 American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) indications for metabolic and bariatric surgery. Obes Surg. 2023;33(1):3–14. - DOI - PubMed

Substances