Systematic reviews from 2020 to 2024 indicate that bariatric surgery provides the most sustained and substantial weight loss compared to other treatments, maintaining about 25% weight loss for up to 10 years. Despite significant benefits, bariatric surgery is still underused in treating severe obesity.
Systematic reviews of medical literature from 2020 to 2024 indicate that bariatric surgery, also referred to as metabolic or weight-loss surgery, results in the most significant and enduring weight loss compared to treatments with GLP-1 receptor agonists and lifestyle changes. These findings were presented at the 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery .
Five months of weekly injections of GLP-1 semaglutide resulted in 10.6% weight loss and nine months of tirzepatide produced 21.1% weight loss. However, once treatment stopped, about half the lost weight returned within a year despite which drug was used. If injections were continued, tirzepatide patients plateaued at 22.5% weight loss at 17-18 months. Patients on semaglutide plateaued at 14.9% during the same time period.