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Dr Joe Northup, Associate Professor of Surgery at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Director of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN, has been elected the 40th president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), the nation’s largest professional organisation of metabolic and bariatric surgeons and integrated health professionals dedicated to the treatment of obesity and related diseases.

Despite substantial weight loss, most obesity drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro do not meaningfully improve quality of life, and few show cardiovascular benefits at one year, according to an analysis of the latest evidence published by The British Medical Journal (BMJ). More weight loss is also generally accompanied by greater harms, including stomach and bowel symptoms, fatigue and loss of lean (muscle) mass, and improvements are not sustained after stopping treatment. Sever

Obesity rates among US adults and children rose sharply in recent years, and by 2023, 40% of adults and 20% of youth met the criteria for obesity, according to new, independent research led by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. Anum Minhas (Credit: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine) "Obesity is a leading public health concern, linked to higher risks for cardiovascular disease and premature death," said study author, Dr Anum Minhas, an assistant professor of med

Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) can be delivered safely and effectively for adolescents and young adults living with severe obesity, offering promising improvements in weight loss and obesity-related health conditions, according to a study by researchers from LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and Metamor Institute. The study examined outcomes from 76 patients ages 10–25 who underwent bariatric surgery

The British Hernia Society (BHS) has published the Inaugural Annual Report of its new national hernia registry, the BHS Registry, a milestone achievement that delivers the comprehensive data clinicians have called for. Utilising Dendrite Clinical Systems’ intuitive and robust ‘Intellect-Web Registry’ software, the BHS Registry allowed surgeons to collect, analyse, track and report procedural, treatment and outcomes data from 2,262 hernia repairs that were recorded across fiv

For decades, it’s been against the law for Medicare to pay for weight-loss medication, but that changed on July 1, with the launch of a new programme called Bridge. It gives some people over 65, or who have Medicare for other reasons, access to some weight management medications if they meet certain weight and health criteria. Doctors who specialise in treating obesity, and study its impact on individuals and society, welcome this shift. The policy began in the previous presi

At the recent IFSO-EC meeting in Malaga, Spain, Medtronic hosted a fascinating lunch time symposium tiled, ‘A new era in robotic vessel sealing’ featured several presentations and a panel discussion on Medtronic's Ligasure vessel sealing technology, covering its technical underpinnings, clinical applications and recent integration into the Hugo RAS robotic surgery platform. Hugo RAS Ligasure Maryland In the first presentation by Dr Bruce Dunne, Senior Distinguished Engineer,

Tirzepatide does not just help people lose weight, but it also activates brown adipose tissue, representing a major milestone in obesity research, according to a study presented at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Chicago. "In the TABFAT trial, we asked a different question: Beyond eating less, does tirzepatide also change how the body burns energy - specifically through brown adipose tissue, a metabolically active type of fat that produces heat and consum

The rapid rise of GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide has transformed obesity treatment. Still, experts say medications alone are not enough to address one of the US’ most pressing chronic diseases. A commentary published in Gastroenterology, "Revisiting POWER in the GLP-1 Age," updates the landmark POWER (Practice Guide on Obesity and Weight Management, Education, and Resources) framework first published in 2017. The figure provides a comprehensive, multidi

Adults with obesity and diabetes face higher health care utilisation costs with GLP-1s treatment compared with Bariatric metabolic surgery (BMS), excluding intervention costs, largely reflecting differences in early clinical trajectories, according to a study by researchers from Israel. These findings suggest that, among patients eligible for both interventions, BMS may confer combined clinical and economic advantages over long-term follow-up. The study was designed to compar