If you're morbidly obese and middle-aged, weight-loss surgery may not decrease your chances of dying, according to a study published Sunday in the online Journal of the American Medical Association. Morbidly obese is defined as having a body mass index greater than 39 and generally means someone who is 100 pounds or more overweight.
Researchers were interested in studying the mortality rates of middle-aged and older adults after bariatric surgery. Data available prior to this study was based almost solely on young, white females who had had the weight-loss surgery. That group of individuals has a lower incidence of mortality related to obesity even before bariatric surgery than do older adults, according to study researchers.
The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of weight-loss surgery in populations with an increased risk of death related to obesity; these populations were identified as being highest in men and minority populations.
The research team studied follow-up data for 850 men with a mean age of 49.5 years and a mean BMI of 47.4 for an average of 6.2 years. The men in the study had the weight-loss surgery between the years 2000 and 2006. Their mortality (death) rate was compared to a control group of 41,000 other men who did not have the surgery, reports Yahoo! News. All the men were patients at medical centers of Veterans Affairs.
Researchers concluded that bariatric surgery in morbidly obese middle-aged men did not decrease their risk of death compared with care that did not include the surgery. Still, this population may opt for weight-loss surgery based on factors other than mortality rate, such as the reduction of body weight, control of obesity-related health conditions and improved quality of life.
In the United States, weight-loss surgery usually involves one of four procedures, explains the Weight-Control Information Network. The four procedures, each with its own risks and benefits, are: adjustable gastric band (AGB); Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB); biliopancreatic diversion with a duodenal switch (BPD-DS); and vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). The AGB works by decreasing food intake while the other surgeries involve not only the decreased ability to take in food but also affect food absorption and other factors.
Your physician will weigh conditions such as your health, obesity-related health conditions and your eating behaviors in helping to determine which, if any, of the weight-loss surgeries would be to your benefit. The outcome of this new study into mortality rates following bariatric surgery may be a factor in your consideration of the procedure now also.
Smack dab in the middle of the baby boomer generation, L.L. Woodard is a proud resident of "The Red Man" state. With what he hopes is an everyman's view of life's concerns both in his state and throughout the nation, Woodard presents facts and opinions based on common-sense solutions.
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