Bariatric benefits last years

Gastric Bypass Surgery won’t just help you next month, or next year. The health benefits are shown to last for years. Find out more about whether gastric bypass is the best surgery for you.

 

Whilst the short term health benefits of weight loss surgery are well documented, a new there is some speculation as to how long the benefits of weight loss surgery may last. A new study followed up on gastric bypass patients 6 years after their surgery to see if the health benefits were still noticeable after that length of time.

Gastric Bypass is the most common form of weight loss surgery, totalling 80% of weight loss procedures. It involves the removal of 80% of the stomach and redirecting the digestive system so that you literally bypass some of the intestine.  This means that, on the one hand bypass patients feel full more quickly and can eat less because of their decreased stomach size and on the other; food that is eaten isn’t absorbed as well into the body, meaning that your body takes on and stores fewer calories in the form of fat.

Generally gastric bypass procedures are performed on people with a BMI of over 40 or over 35 and who suffer from an obesity related illness.

The Study

The research looked at 418 people who were obese and who had had bariatric surgery, 417 who were obese and had looked into the surgery but decided against it and 321 obese people who had never considered weight loss surgery.

Six years after surgery and:

  • 96% of the patients had maintained at least 10% weight loss.
  • 76% had maintained over 20% weight loss
  • 42% of the bariatric patients who had high blood pressure before surgery now have normal blood pressure.
  • 62% of diabetics before surgery no longer suffered from diabetes and more saw an improvement in their condition.

Of the groups that didn’t have the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure performed, there was little or no weight loss. Although some subjects with diabetes saw an improvement in their condition, more people developed the disease over the 6 year period.

The decision whether or not to have weight loss surgery is not one to be taken lightly. It is a serious operation and, as such, comes with the same risks as, for example, a gall bladder operation. However, the short and long term benefits of having weight loss surgery to treat obesity and obesity related conditions far outweigh the risks and it is very possible that weight loss surgery could save your life.

If you would like to know more about the health benefits of weight loss surgery or you would like to speak to one of our surgeons about which surgery is best for you then contact us today.