GLP-1 use rising rapidly among US adolescents and young adults, study finds - Medical Xpress

What the report says

Medical Xpress reported that use of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs is rising quickly among U.S. adolescents and young adults receiving obesity treatment, based on a UT Southwestern Medical Center study published in JAMA Pediatrics. The study examined more than 204,000 patients ages 13 to 25 in the Epic Cosmos electronic health record database who were treated for obesity from May 2022 through January 2026.

According to the report, the researchers found a marked shift in treatment patterns after some GLP-1 drugs were approved for adolescents in December 2022. Among patients in the study population, exclusive use of GLP-1 receptor agonists increased from 88.2% in May-November 2022 to 96.1% in June 2025-January 2026. Over the same comparison periods, metabolic and bariatric surgery use declined from 11.6% to 3.7%, while combined use of surgery and GLP-1 therapy remained unchanged at 0.2%.

Lead author Sarah Messiah of UT Southwestern said the findings capture a turning point in pediatric obesity care, with clinicians beginning to use medication and surgery in different sequences or combinations. Medical Xpress also noted that Messiah’s team had previously reported rising weight-loss surgery rates among adolescents and young adults between 2021 and 2023 using a different database.

The article frames the findings against a broader increase in severe obesity, citing about 9% prevalence among people ages 12 to 18 and an increase among adults from 5% to 10% over two decades. The researchers said the changing real-world use of GLP-1 drugs and surgery highlights the need for evidence-based guidance on when medications should be used before, after or alongside bariatric surgery in younger patients.