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Home » Long Term Weight Loss » Bariatric surgery shrinks heart failure risk in severely obese – The Morning Sun

Weight-loss surgery cut the long-term risk of heart failure by more than half in obese patients without a history of heart disease or stroke, a new study shows.

It was a dramatic finding the researchers hadnt expected.

We were surprised, said Peter N. Benotti, M.D., senior clinical investigator at Greisinger Obesity Institute in Danville, Penn., and the studys lead researcher. Ours is the first published study to show that bariatric surgery impacts favorably on the risk of congestive heart failure.

People with a body mass index of 30 or higher are considered obese. Bariatric surgery is recommended for people with a body mass index of 35 or higher. But guidelines issued in January from the American Diabetes Association recommend bariatric surgery for Type 2 diabetes patients with a BMI of 30 or higher if their diabetes is poorly controlled.

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In the 3,448-patient study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, half of patients received gastric bypass and half did not. The surgery group saw their BMI drop from an average 46.5 to 32.5 after five years. BMI remained stable at around 46 in the nonsurgery group.

Eight years after the weight-loss surgery, 24 people had been diagnosed with heart failure. Twice as many 55 patients in the nonsurgery group had developed heart failure. The surgery group also had fewer heart attacks and strokes, but not enough to be significant by research standards.

During the procedure, surgeons reduce the stomach to a pouch about the size of an egg, then bypass the top section of the small intestine and attach a lower part of the intestine to the new pouch.

Experts prefer the term metabolic surgery because the procedure changes the metabolism beyond the benefits of weight loss, Schauer said.

Such changes, he said, include greater satiety the feeling of fullness after eating and greater loss of belly fat, known to contribute to inflammation and clogged arteries more than other types of fat. The surgery also can put diabetes into remission for some patients, according to Schauers landmark 2014 study.

Depending on the type of procedure, bariatric surgery costs between $12,000 and $30,000, according to research.

Obviously in an ideal world, the best way to lose weight would be with diet and exercise, because theres no risk, Schauer said.

But research has shown thats not enough for most obese patients. A look at 10 studies found that obese people undergoing surgery lost an average 57 pounds more than people trying to lose weight the old-fashioned way. Surgery combined with lifestyle changes has a success rate of up to 85 percent for five years or more, Schauer said.

Even so, bariatric surgery shouldnt be taken lightly, Benotti said.

Its certainly not a quick fix or a simple solution, he said. Its a long-term, lifelong commitment.

Heart failure is on the rise, affecting more than 6 million U.S. adults as of 2014. By 2030, that number is expected to surpass 8 million. The condition is expensive, with total costs estimated at $30.7 billion. Its also a drain on quality of life, causing symptoms such as shortness of breath and fatigue.

Although obesity is not known to cause heart failure, obese patients with a BMI above 35 are at higher risk of developing stiff or clogged arteries, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes all risk factors for heart failure, said Philip Schauer, M.D., professor of surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and director of the Cleveland Clinic Bariatric and Metabolic Institute.

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Bariatric surgery shrinks heart failure risk in severely obese - The Morning Sun

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Home » Long Term Weight Loss » Bariatric surgery shrinks heart failure risk in severely obese – The Morning Sun