Gastric Bypass Surgery—Long Term Results

Losing weight is a challenge. But as many people learn firsthand that keeping off the weight you lose becomes a challenge in and of itself. The fear of weight regain is often in the back of people’s minds as they approach weight loss surgery.

After so much work, what are the chances that a few years from now the weight is just going to come back?

Well, thanks to a study completed by researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine you may be able to put some of these fears to rest. In a prospective study that evaluated the weight loss endeavors of participants ranging in age from 18 to 72 who were undergoing or planned to undergo gastric bypass surgery it was found that patients were still reaping the benefits of gastric bypass six years down the road. The study followed the weight loss efforts of more than 1,150 participants over the course of six years.

The researchers found that six years after bariatric surgery those who underwent gastric bypass were still experiencing health benefits from their weight loss operation.

Among these benefits were:

• Over a 30 percent reduction in body weight
• 60 percent remission rate from type 2 diabetes
• Significantly improved cardiovascular health
• Improved metabolic health

The participants who had gastric bypass surgery were compared with those who struggled with obesity but had no history or plans to undergo bariatric surgery, as well as with those who wished to undergo bariatric surgery but were unable to. The overall health of this control group after six years was significantly less well-off than those who had gastric bypass.

Compared to the 30 percent weight loss experienced by the gastric bypass group, those who did not have bariatric surgery experienced a two percent weight gain on average. The non-surgical group did not experience any of the improvements in their cardiovascular or metabolic health as the surgical group did. Diabetes rates among the control group also remained unchanged.

This large study is still going on, as the researchers plan on assessing health rates at the ten year post-surgical follow-up mark. However, even after six years this may give some peace of mind to those considering gastric bypass surgery to lose weight.