Weight loss is sustained over four years after bariatric surgery, study finds

Bariatric surgery is associated with a marked reduction in weight that is sustained for at least four years, a study published in PLoS Medicine has found.1

The largest comprehensive study of longer term outcomes in the United Kingdom also found that weight loss surgery reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension, angina, myocardial infarction, and obstructive sleep apnoea.

The researchers examined primary care records of 3882 obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery and 3882 matched obese patients who had no surgery. The average body mass index was 44.7.

Patients who underwent bariatric surgery exhibited rapid weight loss for the first four postoperative months at a rate of 4.98 kg a month (95% confidence interval …