Bariatric surgery is on the rise: in 2011, according to Health Insurance, 32,000 operations were performed in France, with an increase of approximately 65% per year. This technique intended for patients who suffer from obesity (BMI greater than 40 or greater than 35 with complications) is to reduce the size of the stomach and possibly the length of the intestine, in order to allow weight loss. Several methods exist: sleeve gastrectomy, bypass and gastric band are the most frequently used.
The risks associated with bariatric surgery are quite high: studies have shown that after their operation, some patients suffer from depression, bulimia, had more likely to give birth prematurely or make a suicide attempt… In short, this is not an intervention to be taken lightly.
Average BMI of 47
However, according to a new study from Duke University (in the United States), bariatric surgery is actually effective for weight loss. To arrive at this conclusion, the American researchers followed 7000 patients: 1787 people having undergone an operation of bariatric surgery and 5300 people “control” not having undergone this type of intervention. At the start of the observation, patients had an average BMI of 47 (severe obesity). Their average age was 52 years old.
Results ? After 10 years, 72% of patients who had bariatric surgery had lost 1/5 of their initial weight and 40% had lost 1/3 of their initial weight. Only a very small minority gained weight; in contrast, in the control group, only 11% of participants lost 1/5 of their initial weight, and only 4% gained 1/3. “Severely obese untreated people have little chance of achieving weight loss” confirm the researchers, who published their work in the scientific journal JAMA Surgery.
In short, efficiency: confirmed!
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Infographic: all you need to know about obesity surgery.
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