Injections vs. Scalpels: Where Do Surgery and GLP-1's Align in Modern Obesity treatment?

Recent advancements in pharmacologic treatment of obesity and metabolic disease with nutrient-stimulated hormones (NuSH), particularly Semaglutide and Tirzepatide, have been revolutionary, showing weight reduction results comparable to some surgical options. This is especially promising as, despite the proven efficacy and safety of metabolic/bariatric surgery (MBS), its utilization has remained quite limited. This review article discusses the current literature on the comparative effectiveness of these two treatments and their impact on comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and cardiovascular disease. While weight reduction with these NewSH's (sic) appears similar to a sleeve gastrectomy, though significantly less than gastric bypass, MBS remains the gold standard treatment for patients with more severe obesity especially those with higher cardiometabolic disease burden.