Bariatric surgery is a type of weight loss surgery that prevents the patient from overeating. Gastric bypass is the most common type of bariatric surgery though there are others. It is no surprise that weight loss surgeries reduce the risk of heart attacks in the short-term, but it was only recently that studies confirmed the long-term benefits of reducing heart attack risk. A survey revealed by the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery shows their findings of long-term benefits.
The Study
All of the patients in this study had the gastric bypass surgery. This is a type of bariatric surgery that creates a pouch is created in the stomach to attach to the small intestine. This keeps food going only to the little pouch, “bypassing” the larger part of the stomach. Its intent is to keep individuals only eating a small amount, or what fits in the little pouch.
The study looked at a total of 182 patients for three years minimum, with 57 patients remaining for the seven full years of the study. This study is the longest study so far that looks at the cardiac risk factors of gastric bypass surgery. Among the participants, the ages varied, with the average being 44 years old. Approximately 33 percent of the participants had diabetes; 25 percent had issues with cholesterol, and 50 percent had high blood pressure. By the end of the seven years, their BMI was reduced, and all patients lost more than 50 percent of their extra weight.
How Bariatric Surgery Helps the Risk
During this study, researchers at Stanford Hospitals & Clinics, a part of Stanford University, were looking at different risk factors for heart attacks. This included blood pressure, diabetes, the amount of good cholesterol (HDL), bad cholesterol (LDL) and their body mass index (BMI). Among the findings, the bad cholesterol levels improved significantly, good cholesterol rose by 40 percent, some triglycerides were lowered by 55 percent and no cardiac events were experienced by any of the patients.
What these study and results show, is that many of the factors of heart attacks are reduced after getting bariatric surgery. While many of the patients dropped out after the 3-year mark, the remaining patients showed no cardiac events. Since obesity is a major factor in heart attacks and general cardiac problems, this is good news for patients considering gastric bypass or another type of bariatric surgery. It not only improves the success of weight loss and lowering BMI but prolonging their life as well.