After the installation of a gastric band, used to facilitate weight loss, obese patients obtained better results on cognitive tests.
- Two years after bariatric surgery, the memory and attention of people with obesity have improved.
- They also spent less time thinking about food, exercised more, and were in a better mood.
- Doctors believe that a decrease in blood pressure caused by the significant weight loss could stimulate blood flow to the brain.
In cases of extreme obesity, healthcare professionals may consider bariatric surgery. This operation, which modifies the anatomy of the digestive system, helps patients lose weight sustainably and control associated diseases. To help reduce the amount of food consumed, there are so-called “pure restrictive” techniques, which reduce the size of the stomach.
Among them, we find the installation of a gastric band. “The ring (whose diameter is modifiable) is placed around the upper part of the stomach, thus delimiting a small pocket. Little food is needed to fill this pocket and the feeling of satiety appears quickly. flow very slowly according to the hourglass principle”explain the High Authority for Health (HAS).
Obesity: 129 adults took cognitive tests before and after bariatric surgery
Recently, researchers from the Radboud University Medical Center (Netherlands) revealed that weight loss, facilitated by the installation of a gastric band, would have positive consequences on the brain. To reach this conclusion, they recruited 129 adults with obesity. Participants were tested for memory, speech and attention before bariatric surgery in 2018 and after the operation in 2021. Forty people also had MRIs taken before and after the procedure to see how their structure brain had changed.
Improved memory and attention two years after the operation
During the european congress on obesityheld May 17-20 in Dublin, lead author Amanda Kiliaan said patient memory and attention “were still improving two years after the operation”. In detail, people who performed bariatric surgery obtained better results on cognitive tests. After the surgery, the volunteers also spent less time thinking about food, which ‘freed up’ their brain capacity and helped prevent memory impairment. “Patients also exercised more and were in better moods.” According to the doctors, a reduction in blood pressure caused by the drastic weight loss could stimulate blood flow to the brain.
