October 31, 2024
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Teenagers with obesity who had weight-loss surgery retained their reductions in body mass index 10 years later and had lower rates of hypertension and high cholesterol, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine says.
Adolescents with severe obesity who have weight-loss surgery experience enduring health benefits, according to new research.
A study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people 19 and younger with severe obesity, who had one of two types of weight-loss surgery, were able to maintain their reduced weight and had fewer obesity-related health issues 10 years later.
"These findings are essential as effective treatment options for severe pediatric obesity remain rare," the study's principal investigator, Dr. Thomas Inge, surgeon-in-chief at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, told UPI. "Robust data on the outcomes of modern bariatric procedures are invaluable for clinicians and families considering ways to support adolescents facing obesity, especially in cases of rapid weight gain."
The people in the study, who had an average age of 17, each underwent gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy weight-loss surgeries. They maintained an average of 20% reduction in body mass index – as well as a 57% reduction of hypertension and a 54% reduction of abnormal cholesterol – after 10 years.
Especially striking to the researchers was that the teenagers had a 55% reduction of type 2 diabetes, a much higher reduction than seen in adults who have weight-loss surgery. Adults who underwent weight-loss surgery had 18% reduction in type 2 diabetes at seven years and a 12.7% reduction at 12 years, previous research found.
"Type 2 diabetes tends to progress more rapidly when it occurs in young people, and these findings demonstrate the greater health benefits and durability of bariatric surgery in youth than would be expected in similarly treated adults," the researchers concluded.
Teenagers who had gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy, two types of bariatric surgery, had similar results for all of the measures in the study published Wednesday. The number teens getting weight-loss surgeries has substantially increased in recent years, previous research shows.
Bariatric surgery, conducted on the stomach and sometimes the small intestine, reduces the amount of food a person can consume and absorb. The surgeries also affect hunger signals between the brain and the digestive system. Weight-loss surgery is only recommended for people with obesity when other attempts at weight loss have failed and they are at risk for health complications.
About 1 in 5 children and adolescents have obesity, defined as having a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile for their age and sex, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That figure has doubled since the mid-1990s and nearly quadrupled since the early 1970s.
Childhood obesity increases the risk of developing many health conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease.
