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News
After years of steady growth, bariatric surgery rates among US adults peaked in 2022 and then dropped sharply — likely driven by the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. Adolescents, however, saw no significant decline. The findings highlight a major shift in how obesity is being treated across age groups.
Bariatric surgery in the US had a strong run — until recently. A new study analyzing nearly 2 million patient records from 959 accredited centers found that adult bariatric surgery volumes climbed about 4% per year from 2015 to 2022, then fell sharply by more than 11% annually in 2023 and 2024. Adolescents, on the other hand, showed no significant change in surgical trends over the same period.
Researchers point to the rapid rise of GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual-incretin therapies as a likely contributor to the adult decline, though they note the shift is probably multifactorial — including changes in insurance coverage, hospital capacity, patient preferences, and lingering COVID-19 effects. Notably, the decline among adults varied by race: surgery volumes fell among non-Hispanic White and Black adults but actually increased among Hispanic and Latino adults.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: This study signals a potential turning point in obesity treatment — one where medications may be displacing surgery as the first-line option for many adults. For clinicians and health systems, understanding who is still getting surgery (and who isn't) will be critical for ensuring equitable obesity care going forward.
