Medic's stomach reduction mostly prolongs life

How does bariatric surgery affect the risk of dying prematurely?

When adipose patients undergo a gastric reduction surgery, they are only half as likely to die in the following years, compared to people who reduce their weight through diet and altered behavior alone.

Researchers at Northwestern University found out that obese patients have a significantly lower risk of dying after surgery than people who only change their diet and behavior. The physicians published the results of their study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Physicians found that surgery to reduce stomach size in obese people greatly reduces the risk of dying prematurely. (Image: staras / fotolia.com)

Should every obese person undergo surgery??

Obesity surgery is very cost effective, results in significant weight loss, and can help fight type 2 diabetes, say the experts. For example, some British surgeons even believe that such operations are not sufficiently performed in the UK. However, the results are not enough to conclude that all obese patients should undergo such an operation, says author Philip Greenland. A so-called gastric balloon could help sufferers to lose their weight without surgery, adds the physician.

Experts examined more than 33,500 subjects

The new study aimed to determine if gastric reduction surgery has long-term effects on the risk of death in overweight people compared to non-surgical weight loss methods. In total, more than 33,500 participants were involved in the study, of which 8,385 had received one of three types of so-called bariatric surgery between 2005 and 2014. The majority of participants had a BMI of more than 35. Obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or higher.

Effects of the operation on the risk of death

The researchers monitored the participants in the years following their surgery until death or until the end of the follow-up period in December 2015. The results were then compared to obese patients who had not undergone surgery. The study found that the death rate during the study was 1.3 percent for patients with some form of bariatric surgery. If the participants had no surgery, the risk was 2.3 percent.

Operated participants had various health benefits

Once other factors such as age, gender and related illnesses were taken into account, the researchers found that participants without surgery had just over twice the risk of premature death compared with operated participants. In addition, subjects in the operated group experienced a greater decline in BMI, lower rates of new diagnoses of diabetes, improved blood pressure, and a large proportion of diabetics who were in remission.

Operated participants lost more after one year

Another smaller study, also published in the journal JAMA, compared diabetes-related markers in obese adults who had a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes for an average of nine years. The advantages of bariatric surgery were particularly examined. Participants either received two years of intensive nutrition, exercise and medical care, or they underwent additional surgery. The results of 113 participants showed that operated patients lost more weight one year after starting the study. (As)