10-Year Follow-Up Shows Lasting Benefits of Bariatric Surgery – A recent study reported that 10 years after teens underwent bariatric surgery, more than half of the participants achieved sustained weight loss and elimination of obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
Examined the short- and long-term risks and benefits of bariatric surgery in 240 teens (aged 13 – 19 years), including gastric band, gastric sleeve, and gastric bypass. Participants had severe obesity and serious weight-related health issues, such as prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or other conditions.
The original trial discovered teens had major improvements. after 10 years, participants had a sustained mean reduction of 55% in type 2 diabetes (95% CI, 35 to 75), 57% in hypertension (95% CI, 39 to 75), and 54% in abnormal cholesterol (95% CI, 42 to 66). The reductions of BMI, diabetes, hypertension, and cholesterol were similar among participants undergoing gastric bypass (mean change, −20.6%; 95% CI, −24.8 to −16.4) and sleeve gastrectomy (mean change, −19.2%; 95% CI, −24.8 to −13.5).
