cardiacAccording to a recent Swedish survey, people who had weight loss surgery were less likely to suffer from heart attack or stroke later in life.

Over a period of 14 years, 4000 obese people were monitored across 500 health care centers throughout Sweden. Half had bariatric surgery while the other half underwent regular care and treatment, including guided changes in lifestyle.

The Journal of the American Medical Association published findings that showed a “reduced number of cardiovascular deaths and lower incidence of cardiovascular events in obese adults”.

The study is one of the first comparative studies on obesity and weight loss surgery, so is a good way of comparing health risks of overweight people who chose to have surgery and those who didn’t. Even taking into account other health risks prior to the study, it concluded that an obese person who undergoes weight loss surgery is 30% less likely to suffer from a heart attack or stroke and 50% less likely to die from a heart attack or a stroke, as well as enjoying other significant health and lifestyle benefits.

The findings of this and other studies show that high risk people with a BMI of over 30 can dramatically improve their health by undergoing weight loss surgery. The spectrum of health benefits of weight loss surgery is broad and varied and is changing the future of high risk individuals who suffer from conditions such as high blood pressure and type II diabetes.

If you think that you can be at risk and have a high BMI contact us today for more information, or have a look at our weight loss infographic on our top ten benefits of weight loss surgery.