New research finds significant health benefits associated with weight loss surgery in people with obesity.
More than 1 in 3 adults in the United States are overweight or have obesity, according to data from 2013–2014.
Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke are only some of the complications associated with obesity.
New research presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress, which takes place, this year, in Paris, France, suggests that bariatric, or weight loss, surgery can reduce the risk of premature mortality and cardiovascular problems more than standard medical care.
Dr. Steven Nissen, Chief Academic Officer of the Heart & Vascular Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio, is the senior author of the study, which also appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Nissen and the team looked at data from 13,722 participants, 2,287 of whom had obesity and type 2 diabetes and had undergone weight loss surgery. The researchers compared data from this group with information from 11,435 matched controls who had only received standard medical care.
Of the 2,287 participants who underwent weight loss surgery, 75% had a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above, which constitutes “extreme obesity.” The minimum BMI in the group was 30, which is the lower threshold for obesity.
Is surgery better than dieting for weight loss outcomes?
Is surgery better than dieting for weight loss outcomes?
New research finds a lower mortality risk for people who have undergone weight loss surgery.
The participants in the surgery group had each undergone one of four types of weight loss, or metabolic, procedure: gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, adjustable gastric banding, or duodenal switch.
The main outcomes that the researchers looked for were death, coronary artery events, cerebrovascular events, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and kidney disease. These are the main complications of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
The research revealed that the people who had undergone weight loss surgery had a 40% lower risk of any of these events over an 8-year follow-up period. The risk of death, specifically, was 41% lower.
Furthermore, people who had undergone metabolic surgery lost 15% more weight, on average, and had 15% lower blood sugar levels.
