April 14, 2026
1 min read
Key takeaways:
- Patients taking GLP-1 agonists before total joint arthroplasty were more likely to be malnourished or severely malnourished.
- They also had lower prealbumin, albumin and total protein values.
NEW ORLEANS — Patients taking GLP-1 agonists before total joint arthroplasty experienced significantly higher rates of preoperative nutritional deficiencies, according to results presented here.
“Patients who are taking GLP-1s, whether for diabetes or for weight loss, were seven times more likely to have nutritional deficiencies, whether that be their protein levels or more minor markers of nutritional deficiency,” William H. Young, MD, resident at UT Health San Antonio, told Healio about results presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting.
Young and colleagues retrospectively reviewed data from 165 patients undergoing TJA who had the necessary preoperative labs and were either taking (n = 29) or not taking (n = 136) GLP-1 agonists.
“Our endpoints for lab values were [hemoglobin A1c], albumin, prealbumin, total protein, calcium, alkaline phosphatase and vitamin D,” Young said in his presentation. “We defined malnutrition as one lab below normal values and severe malnutrition as two or more lab values below normal.”
Young said patients taking GLP-1 agonists “were more likely to be malnourished or severely malnourished.” Patients taking GLP-1 agonists also had lower levels of prealbumin, albumin and total protein on average, according to Young.
“As GLP-1 users are becoming a larger population of patients who are planning to receive total joints, our hope is that this brings awareness to addressing those nutritional concerns preoperatively, optimizing them so that this does not necessarily lead to any poor outcomes due to nutritional deficiencies,” Young told Healio.
For more information:
William H. Young, MD, can be contacted at youngw2@uthscsa.edu.
Sources/Disclosures
Source:
Jodoin Z, et al. Paper 539. Presented at: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting; March 2-6, 2026; New Orleans.
Disclosures:
Young reports no relevant financial disclosures.
Ask a clinical question and tap into Healio AI’s knowledge base.
- PubMed, enrolling/recruiting trials, guidelines
- Clinical Guidance, Healio CME, FDA news
- Healio’s exclusive daily news coverage of clinical data
<
Leave a Reply