Women, those undergoing sleeve gastrectomy, those with type 2 diabetes more likely to initiate GLP-1 RAs<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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WEDNESDAY, Sept. 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Fourteen percent of individuals initiate glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) after bariatric surgery, according to a study published online Aug. 27 in JAMA Surgery<\/em>.<\/p>\n Minji Kim, Pharm.D., from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and colleagues characterized the use of and factors associated with GLP-1 RA initiation among U.S. adults undergoing bariatric surgery in a retrospective cohort study. Electronic health records were obtained from about 113 million U.S. adults.<\/p>\n The researchers found that 14.0 percent of the 112,858 individuals undergoing bariatric surgery initiated GLP-1 RAs after surgery, with 21.5 percent beginning within two years of surgery and the remainder initiating during postsurgical years 3 to 4, 5 to 6, or beyond (32.3, 25.2, and 21.0 percent, respectively). Compared with their counterparts, female patients, those undergoing sleeve gastrectomy, and those with type 2 diabetes were more likely to initiate GLP-1 RAs (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.61, 1.42, and 1.34, respectively). There was an 8 percent increase in the likelihood of GLP-1 RA initiation with each one-unit increase in postsurgical body mass index (BMI; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.08).<\/p>\n \u201cThese findings raise important questions for future obesity research,\u201d senior study author Hemalkumar Mehta, Ph.D., also from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said in a statement. \u201cFor example, what is the optimal clinical threshold for prescribing a GLP-1 in terms of timing and the patient\u2019s relative weight after bariatric surgery?\u201d<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n