Many people opt for weight-loss surgery to fight obesity, but it’s not always a once-and-done solution.
A good number of folks find the pounds creeping back on after surgery, complicating conditions like Type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease.
Now, a recent study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center offers hope in the form of medication for managing this weight regain.
Why Is This Study Important?
For a long time, doctors didn’t have much information on how to help people who gained weight back after weight-loss surgery.
After all, more than 40% of adults in the United States are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Many turn to bariatric surgery, a medical procedure that helps in quick weight loss. The problem? A lot of these people end up gaining some of that weight back, which can make their health issues even worse.
Jaime Almandoz, M.D., who led the study, explained that the team found two newer medications that can really help people manage their weight after surgery.
The best part? One medication, called semaglutide, worked even better than the other, called liraglutide.
What Did the Study Involve?
Researchers looked at the health records of 207 adults who had bariatric surgery in the past. Most of these patients were women, around 55 years old on average, and from diverse backgrounds.
These folks had regained more than 40% of the weight they initially lost after surgery.
The study focused on two medications, both approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that help control hunger and make people feel full: semaglutide and liraglutide.
These drugs belong to a category known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. The team wanted to find out which of these medications was more effective in helping these people lose weight again.
Here’s What They Found
A year after starting the medications, the study found something interesting. Those who took semaglutide lost about 12.9% of their body weight.
In contrast, those who took liraglutide lost around 8.8%. The people on semaglutide were twice as likely to lose at least 10% of their body weight.
This was true no matter how old they were, whether they were male or female, or what type of weight-loss surgery they had.
Dr. Almandoz said these findings prove that these medications, particularly semaglutide, could be a valuable tool in helping people maintain a healthy weight after surgery.
What Does This Mean for You?
If you’ve had weight-loss surgery and are struggling with weight regain, this study provides some hope.
With these newer medications, particularly semaglutide, it may be easier to manage your weight and, by extension, improve your overall health.
It’s always a good idea to consult your healthcare provider for a personalized treatment plan that’s right for you. After all, every step you take towards maintaining a healthy weight is a step towards a healthier life.
If you care about weight loss, please read studies about popular weight loss diets linked to heart disease and cancer, and this exercise has unique benefits for weight loss.
For more information about weight loss, please see recent studies that a green diet can reduce belly fat much better, and the newest diabetes drugs may lower body weight and blood sugar.
The study was published in Obesity.
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