Liraglutide After Failed Bariatric Surgery: Does the GLP-1 Drug Help Teens Lose Weight?
Adolescents with persistent obesity after sleeve gastrectomy achieved a 4.3% BMI reduction with 16 weeks of liraglutide, along with improved fasting glucose and HbA1c.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Liraglutide produced a 4.3% BMI reduction (p<0.001) in 34 adolescents with persistent obesity after sleeve gastrectomy, with significant improvements in fasting glucose and HbA1c and 91% study completion.
Key Numbers
Adolescents aged 12-20.99 years, at least 1 year post-sleeve gastrectomy, received liraglutide starting at 0.6 mg for 16 weeks.
How They Did This
Open-label, 16-week pilot study. Enrolled adolescents aged 12-21 with obesity at least 1 year after sleeve gastrectomy. Liraglutide titrated from 0.6 mg/day to max 3 mg/day. Assessed BMI, fasting labs, and oral glucose tolerance at baseline and end-treatment.
Why This Research Matters
Teenagers who regain weight after bariatric surgery face serious long-term health risks with very few treatment options. Demonstrating that GLP-1 drugs work in this population opens a new treatment pathway for a vulnerable group with limited alternatives.
The Bigger Picture
Bariatric surgery was once considered the definitive treatment for severe obesity, but weight regain is common. GLP-1 drugs represent a pharmacological complement that can be added when surgery alone is insufficient. This study supports the emerging practice of combining surgical and peptide-based approaches to obesity management.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Open-label design with no control group — weight loss could be partly due to study participation effects. Small sample of 34 teens. Only 16 weeks of follow-up — long-term effects unknown. Teens with poor initial surgical response also responded less to liraglutide, suggesting some patients may remain difficult to treat.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would newer GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide produce greater weight loss than liraglutide in post-bariatric adolescents?
- ?Is longer-term liraglutide treatment needed to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss in this population?
- ?What characterizes the adolescents who respond poorly to both surgery and GLP-1 drugs?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 4.3% BMI reduction in adolescents with persistent obesity after sleeve gastrectomy, achieved with 16 weeks of liraglutide treatment
- Evidence Grade:
- Preliminary evidence: open-label pilot study without a control group. Encouraging results but insufficient to establish efficacy — a randomized controlled trial is needed.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2024. Addresses the growing intersection of bariatric surgery and GLP-1 peptide therapy in pediatric obesity.
- Original Title:
- An open-label 16-week study of liraglutide in adolescents with obesity post-sleeve gastrectomy.
- Published In:
- Pediatric obesity, 19(11), e13154 (2024)
- Authors:
- Zenno, Anna, Nwosu, Ejike E, Fatima, Syeda Z, Nadler, Evan P, Mirza, Nazrat M, Brady, Sheila M, Turner, Sara A, Yang, Shanna B, Lazareva, Julia, Te-Vasquez, Jennifer A, Chen, Kong Y, Chung, Stephanie T, Yanovski, Jack A
- Database ID:
- RPEP-09628
Evidence Hierarchy
Frequently Asked Questions
Can teens take GLP-1 drugs after bariatric surgery?
This pilot study suggests liraglutide is feasible and safe in post-bariatric adolescents, producing a 4.3% BMI reduction with no serious side effects. However, this is not yet standard practice, and treatment should be discussed with a specialist.
Why do some teens regain weight after bariatric surgery?
Up to 50% of adolescents have obesity again within 3 years of surgery. Contributing factors include hormonal adaptations, behavioral patterns, and genetics. GLP-1 drugs work through different mechanisms than surgery and may help address the biological drivers of weight regain.
Read More on RethinkPeptides
Cite This Study
https://rethinkpeptides.com/research/RPEP-09628APA
Zenno, Anna; Nwosu, Ejike E; Fatima, Syeda Z; Nadler, Evan P; Mirza, Nazrat M; Brady, Sheila M; Turner, Sara A; Yang, Shanna B; Lazareva, Julia; Te-Vasquez, Jennifer A; Chen, Kong Y; Chung, Stephanie T; Yanovski, Jack A. (2024). An open-label 16-week study of liraglutide in adolescents with obesity post-sleeve gastrectomy.. Pediatric obesity, 19(11), e13154. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijpo.13154
MLA
Zenno, Anna, et al. "An open-label 16-week study of liraglutide in adolescents with obesity post-sleeve gastrectomy.." Pediatric obesity, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijpo.13154
RethinkPeptides
RethinkPeptides Research Database. "An open-label 16-week study of liraglutide in adolescents wi..." RPEP-09628. Retrieved from https://rethinkpeptides.com/research/zenno-2024-an-openlabel-16week-study
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkPeptides research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.