Author Interviews, Weight Research / 08.10.2025
Advances in Evidence-Based Prescription Weight Management
GLP-1 Medications For Weight Loss: Benefits and Potential Side Effects
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Photo by Suzy Hazelwood[/caption]
By Palvinder Deol, Superintendent Pharmacist, Happy Pharmacy
Obesity is a complex, multifactorial disease that continues to pose one of the greatest public health challenges of our time. According to the World Health Organization, global obesity rates have nearly tripled since 1975, with more than one billion adults now classified as overweight or obese. Despite growing awareness of the health risks associated with excess weight — including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers — achieving and sustaining weight loss remains difficult for many individuals.
Over the past few years, advances in pharmacological science have transformed the landscape of obesity management. Treatments targeting hormonal pathways, particularly GLP-1 receptor agonists, have shown remarkable efficacy in supporting meaningful, long-term weight reduction when combined with healthy lifestyle changes.
Dr. Magruder[/caption]
Matthew Magruder, MD PGY3
Orthopaedic Residency Program
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
Maimonides Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The prevalence of obesity and diabetes mellitus has reached epidemic proportions. Approximately 37.3 million people in the United States, accounting for 11.3% of the total population, have diabetes, and 100.1 million, or 41.9%, of all US citizens are obese. Furthermore, these numbers are only projected to increase in the coming decades. This is an issue for orthopaedic surgeons because diabetes and obesity have consistently been demonstrated to be risk factors for complications following total joint replacements, especially total hip replacements. Therefore, we are in desperate need of new and more effective tools in mitigating the risk of poor outcomes in our joint replacement patients.
Semaglutide, and other GLP-1 agonists, are potentially a new tool that can be used to help decrease the risks following joint replacement surgery. Initially a medication to treat diabetes, semaglutide has recently been approved by the FDA to treat obesity as well, as randomized controlled trials have consistently demonstrated significant weight loss with minimal side effects. The purpose of our study was to see what effect the use of semaglutide had on total hip arthroplasty patient outcomes.