08/04/2025
Weight Loss Drugs vs Weight Loss Surgery
Obesity can result in severe health problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, polycystic ovarian disease, sleep apnoea, and an increased risk of some cancers. By undergoing sustained weight loss over a long term this can improve these health conditions and improve quality of life and length of life. Unfortunately, simple diet and exercise alone, is often not an easy way to achieve this. Weight loss surgery (performed keyhole) has been well established over the last 20 years, as a way to achieve long term weight loss.
Recently, there has been a lot of publicity and hype about some of the new weight loss medications available on prescription. Although taking a medication to lose weight seems appealing and simple, when compared to an operation, it is important to look at the current data around the amount of weight loss achieved by these medications. In order to understand the benefit of any intervention, be it an operation or medication, it is important to establish how weight loss can be measured. The way we measure how good any intervention is, whether this is an operation or medication, is by measuring the percentage of excess weight that is lost by a person following that intervention. For example, the current studies show that weight loss drugs make you lose on average 10 - 15% of your excess weight. By comparison, a keyhole weight loss operation such as sleeve gastrectomy or gastric sleeve, will make you lose 60-70% of your excess weight on average. The difference is clear and significant.
Prescription weight loss medications have to be combined with diet and exercise and need to be continued long term, over months to years to maintain that benefit, with a continued cost to the individual. Stopping the medication will likely cause a regain of the weight. Importantly, with prescription weight loss medication, because the weight loss is only small it is unusual for it to resolve or cure medical problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, polycystic ovarian disease and sleep apnoea. Furthermore, there are side effects to weight loss medication which should be considered. These include nausea, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
Keyhole weight loss surgery (such as sleeve gastrectomy or gastric sleeve) is usually combined with lifestyle changes and can achieve long term weight loss. As with any operation, there is a small risk with keyhole weight loss surgery. However, once over the initial surgery, this form of treatment will achieve sustained weight loss long term, and because of the large amount of weight lost will often lead to a resolution of medical problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, polycystic ovarian disease, and sleep apnoea.
Dr Wicks expert Hernia, Gallbladder, Weight Loss Surgeries & Pancreatic Surgeon Wellington. Specialising in laparoscopic techniques, providing compassionate care
