Bariatric Surgery Reduces Health Risk
23 Aug, 2016

Most patients with diabetes and obesity who undergo gastric bypass not only experience remission of their diabetes and lose significant weight, but they also reduce their risk of having a heart attack by 40 percent and their risk for suffering a stroke by 42 percent, over a 10-year time horizon.

Weight loss surgery is known to reduce or lead to remission of medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnea to varying degrees. It is thought that the effect of these conditions on the body over a prolonged period of time can lead to life-threatening events such as heart attack and stroke. By extrapolating the logic, one could theorize that the reduction or elimination of these medical conditions would have a protective effect over a period of years. This is what the researchers conducting this study found on longitudinal follow up.

The study entitled, ‘Risk Prediction of Complications of Metabolic Syndrome Before and 6-Years After Gastric Bypass’, also showed that the five-year risk of death from cardiovascular disease dropped by 18 percent and the risk of developing moderate to severe kidney disease dropped by 45 percent.

by Ahmed Hamouda

Written by Mr Ahmed Hamouda

Mr Ahmed Hamouda is The Director of Weight Loss Surgery Kent. He is a highly trained and experienced Consultant Bariatric and General Surgeon.