The study, prepared by researchers at Utah State University, said that it followed patients with chronic obesity for 40 years after they underwent weight-loss surgery.
The researchers found a significant reduction in the death rate among these patients from heart disease, diabetes and cancer, when compared to severely obese patients who did not undergo weight loss surgery.
“Obesity and overweight is an important topic,” said study author Professor Nathan Richards. “We see the obesity rate in our country and our state becoming increasingly important.”
“The seemingly elusive quest of how can we control our weight? It’s a question we’ve been searching for for a long time,” he adds.
He answers that weight can be lost through diet and exercise, as well as through surgery.
Weight loss surgery has existed for decades, specifically since the fifties, and in 2020, about 198,000 operations of this kind were performed in the United States.
The study sought to examine the effectiveness and safety of these operations.
“This study specifically looked at death. What are the risks of dying after bariatric surgery? (…)” says Richards.
The study, published in the medical journal Obesity, found that the overall mortality rate for obese males and females decreased by 16 percent in those who had the surgery compared to those who did not.
For clarification:
- Heart disease-related deaths were less than 29 percent.
- Cancer deaths were 43 percent lower.
- Diabetes-related deaths are 72 percent lower.
The study relied on data from the population of the US state of Utah, which includes information on 22,000 people who underwent bariatric surgery in the state from 1982-2018.
Richards says that the benefits of this surgery include weight loss and the matter remains constant, in contrast to losing weight by following the diet, which returns to the previous situation in the event of abandonment.
“I think it’s a solution, but it’s not for everyone,” he adds.
He notes that the study shows the fact that significant benefits can be obtained by helping people live longer and with less disease.
But the negative thing that the study revealed is that there is a high rate of suicide among people and more deaths due to chronic liver disease due to chronic liver disease, which shows the risks involved in surgery.
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