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Adipose Tissue_Appetite_and Obesity

SAT-724 - Adjunctive Use of Glucagon Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists after Bariatric Surgery: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Saturday, June 13, 2026
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM CT
Location: ENDOExpo; Poster Floor


Introduction: Bariatric surgery is the standard treatment for severe obesity. Studies evaluating the addition of GLP-1 RA after surgery vary in dose, treatment duration, and outcome measures, which makes results hard to compare. To reduce this problem, we performed an updated meta-analysis limited to only randomized controlled trials that compared GLP-1 RA with placebo in adults who had bariatric surgery.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, and Cochrane Central for randomized trials that compared GLP-1 RA with placebo in adults after bariatric surgery. The primary outcomes were change in body weight (kg) and HbA1c (%) at 6 and 12 months after starting treatment. We calculated mean differences (MD) for continuous outcomes and relative risks (RR) for binary outcomes, each with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We assessed heterogeneity using I² statistics and used a random effects model in Review Manager version 5.4.

Results: Seven randomized trials (n = 460) met our inclusion criteria, and all used liraglutide as GLP-1 RA. Trials started liraglutide anywhere from within 6 weeks to 36 months after bariatric surgery, with maintenance dose ranging from 1.8 to 3.0 mg daily. Compared to placebo, liraglutide significantly reduced body weight at 6 months (MD = -5.33 kg; 95% CI -9.42 to -1.23; p = 0.02; I² = 77%). At 12 months, weight loss did not differ between groups (MD = -5.05 kg; 95% CI -22.14 to 12.05; p = 0.33; I² = 90%). Liraglutide did not change HbA1c at 6 months (MD = -0.34%; 95% CI -1.18 to 0.5; p = 0.32; I² = 91%) or 12 months (MD = 0.05%; 95% CI -1.64 to 1.74; p = 0.91; I² = 96%). Liraglutide use did not increase gastrointestinal adverse events compared to placebo.

Conclusion: Adding liraglutide after bariatric surgery led to greater weight loss at 6 months, but this advantage did not persist at 12 months.

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