A growing number of people preparing for bariatric surgery are turning to popular weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Zepbound before going under the knife, according to new research presented at the American College of Surgeons’ annual meeting in Chicago.

The study, led by Dr. Stefanie Rohde, a general surgery resident at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, found that the use of these medications — known as GLP-1 receptor agonists — among patients awaiting bariatric surgery has increased 16-fold in recent years.

“While patients previously believed they had to choose between GLP-1 receptor agonists and surgery, we’re now seeing that people are using both,” said Dr. Rohde. “We know that patients can use GLP-1s after bariatric surgery to amplify their weight loss, but this is still a new area in terms of how to manage patients effectively.”

The research analyzed data from nearly 365,000 patients who underwent weight-loss surgery between 2018 and 2024. Results showed that the proportion of patients who received at least one GLP-1 prescription in the year leading up to their surgery jumped from under 2% in early 2020 to over 29% by late 2024.

Among patients without type 2 diabetes, pre-surgery use of these drugs rose from 2% to 23% during the same period. For those with diabetes, usage climbed from 11% to 45%.

The median age of participants was 43 years, and their average preoperative body mass index (BMI) stood at 46 — well above the CDC threshold of 40 for severe obesity.

According to the study’s authors, this trend reflects a broader shift in how patients and doctors are approaching obesity treatment — combining medical therapy with surgical intervention for better results.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to treating obesity, metabolic syndrome, or diabetes and its related conditions,” said Dr. Patrick Sweigert, a bariatric surgeon at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “We’re entering a new world of multidisciplinary care and a new frontier of weight management that both patients and surgeons must consider.”

The findings, while promising, are preliminary and will need to be validated in peer-reviewed publications before influencing clinical guidelines.