Lose weight and gain years
Studies of stomach-surgery patients offer the strongest evidence yet that shedding pounds can extend life.
Obese people are significantly less likely to die if they undergo stomach surgery to lose weight, according to two new studies that offer the first convincing evidence that the health gains of losing weight translate into living longer.
The research, involving 20,000 obese people in the United States and Sweden, found that those who underwent surgery had a 30 percent to 40 percent lower risk of dying over the next seven to 10 years compared with those who went without the operations.
Previous research has shown that losing weight cuts the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other major ailments and suggested that might lead to an increase in longevity. But the new studies offer the strongest evidence to date in answer to one of the most important and contentious questions about one of the western world’s biggest health problems: Does weight loss result in not only healthier lives but also longer ones?
“The question as to whether intentional weight loss improves life span has been answered,” wrote George Bray of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., in a commentary accompanying the reports in today’s New England Journal of Medicine.
“The answer appears to be a resounding yes.”
“Morbid obesity is a disease. Bariatric surgery is the only efficient treatment of morbid obesity. It is a matter of life and death. The results of this major scientific study will, I hope, contribute to eliminate the preconceived ideas against morbidly obese persons and bariatric surgery”, says Jennifer Schultz, cofounder of the Coalition against Morbid Obesity . “This study effectively shows the beneficial impact of bariatric surgery on the health and survival of morbidly obese people.”
Morbid obesity is the starting point for different types of diseases that are often fatal, such as arterial hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, or heart disease. An individual’s obesity level can be evaluated by means of the body mass index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing the person’s weight by his or her height squared (Kg/m(2)). Morbid obesity corresponds to a BMI higher than or equal to 40, or higher than or equal to 35 if accompanied by comorbidities.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), bariatric surgery is considered to be the only effective treatment for morbid obesity. Bariatric surgery includes a series of techniques that are based on two intervention principles: Restriction and Malabsorbtion. Restrictive procedures include Gastric Banding (the lap band) and the relatively new technique of Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, which is producing some very encouraging results. Malabsorptive procedures include Gastric Bypass and Duodenal Switch.
