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.
4.3% BMI reductionin adolescents with persistent obesity after sleeve gastrectomy, achieved with 16 weeks of liraglutide treatment
What the researchers 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.
Why it 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 numbers in context
Adolescents aged 12-20.99 years, at least 1 year post-sleeve gastrectomy, received liraglutide starting at 0.6 mg for 16 weeks.
How the study worked
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.
Who was studied
Adolescents aged 12-21 with obesity at least 1 year after sleeve gastrectomy
What this study cannot 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.
How to read the evidence
Preliminary evidence: open-label pilot study without a control group. Encouraging results but insufficient to establish efficacy — a randomized controlled trial is needed.
When this study was published
Published in 2024. Addresses the growing intersection of bariatric surgery and GLP-1 peptide therapy in pediatric obesity.
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.
Questions still open
- 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?
Common questions
Can teens take GLP-1 drugs after bariatric surgery?
Why do some teens regain weight after bariatric surgery?
Read the original research
An open-label 16-week study of liraglutide in adolescents with obesity post-sleeve gastrectomy.
Pediatric obesity, 19(11), e13154
Citation
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