Losing weight and keeping it off can be one of the biggest health challenges many people face.
In Australia, about one in three adults lives with obesity, a condition that can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and many other serious illnesses. For people who struggle to lose weight through diet and exercise alone, bariatric surgery—also known as metabolic bariatric surgery—has been the most effective long-term treatment.
Most patients lose about 20 to 30 percent of their body weight after the procedure. But for some, the results are not as strong, and they either stop losing weight or even gain it back after surgery.
Researchers from Monash University and Alfred Health wanted to find out if combining bariatric surgery with modern weight loss medication could help these patients achieve better results. Their study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, is the first to test this combination in a controlled way.
In the study, the researchers focused on a medication called liraglutide. Originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, liraglutide works by mimicking a natural hormone in the body that helps control appetite and blood sugar levels. It is now also approved for weight management.
The researchers designed a year-long trial with 48 adults between the ages of 20 and 65 who had undergone different types of bariatric surgeries—including sleeve gastrectomy, gastric banding, and gastric bypass—but had not achieved the desired amount of weight loss.
Half of the participants took a daily dose of liraglutide, while the other half took a placebo—a lookalike substance with no active ingredient.
After 12 months, the group taking liraglutide had lost an average of 4.4 percent of their total body weight, while the placebo group had gained an average of 1.4 percent. This was a clear difference, showing that the medication worked effectively even after surgery.
Importantly, there were no negative effects on the participants’ health or quality of life. Professor Wendy Brown, the lead author and head of the Department of Surgery at Monash University, said the findings were encouraging.
She explained that many people who regain weight after bariatric surgery are often told their only option is another operation, which can be risky and expensive.
This study shows that medication can offer a safer alternative. “We found that people who didn’t lose enough weight after surgery could still benefit from weight loss medication, often at a lower dose than those who hadn’t had surgery,” Professor Brown said.
The study’s results also suggest that using medication after surgery could help reduce the need for additional operations. For patients, this means fewer complications, less stress, and better long-term outcomes.
Professor John Wentworth, a senior endocrinologist and co-author of the study, said newer and even more effective weight loss drugs are now available, which could lead to even greater success in the future. “Our results show real hope for people who have struggled to maintain their weight loss after surgery,” he said.
Dr. Paul Burton, another co-author from the Monash University School of Translational Medicine, emphasized that obesity is a lifelong condition that requires ongoing management rather than a one-time cure.
Surgery can help, but combining it with medication and healthy lifestyle habits gives patients the best chance of keeping the weight off. “There are no quick fixes,” Dr. Burton said. “But with better treatment options, we can help people achieve long-term success and improve their quality of life.”
Liraglutide belongs to a class of medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which have become popular because of their strong effects on weight loss and blood sugar control. Similar drugs—such as semaglutide and tirzepatide—are now being studied as well, and they may provide even better results.
Previous studies have also shown that combining medication and surgery can lead to additional weight loss, but this new research is among the first to confirm it through a rigorous clinical trial.
In the end, the findings offer new hope for people who need extra help losing weight after bariatric surgery. By combining the benefits of surgery with modern weight loss medication, doctors can offer safer, more personalized treatment plans. This approach could help more people avoid repeat surgeries and achieve healthier, more stable results.
Overall, this study highlights how far obesity treatment has come in recent years. It shows that personalized care—combining surgery, medication, lifestyle support, and long-term follow-up—can help transform obesity from a lifelong struggle into a manageable condition.
More research will continue to refine this approach, but for now, it marks an important step forward in helping people regain control of their health.
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The study is published in JAMA Network Open.
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