Call for weight jab study as gallbladder ops rise

EXPERTS have called for more research into a potential link between weight loss jabs and a rise in gallbladder removals.

- STORM NEWTON

The NHS in England carried out 80,196 gallbladder operations in 2024-25, a 15% increase on the previous year and the highest number in the past decade.

Surgeon Ahmed Ahmed, who is president of the British Obesity and Metabolic Specialist Society, told the BBC that "more and more" of his patients who are having these operations are telling him they have taken weight loss jabs.

GLP-1 receptor agonists work by mimicking the hormone GLP-1 to regulate blood sugar and insulin levels and were initially developed as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.

A number of the drugs are recommended on the NHS to help people lose weight, including semaglutide, under the brand name Wegovy, and tirzepatide, also known as Mounjaro.

One side-effect is an increased risk of gallstones, which are hardened deposits of digestive fluid in the gallbladder.

However, rapid weight loss, a diet low in fibre and high in fat, and obesity can also lead to gallstones.