Benefits of Bariatric Surgery May Outweigh Risks for Severely Obese

Bariatric surgery can result in long-term weight loss and significant reductions in cardiac and other risk factors for some severely obese adults, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.  

The statement, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, is the first by the American Heart Association focused solely on bariatric surgery and cardiac risk factors, according to lead author Paul Poirier, M.D., Ph.D., director of the prevention/rehabilitation program at Quebec Heart and Lung Institute at Laval University Hospital in Canada.   

"The statement is not an across-the-board endorsement of bariatric surgery for the severely obese,” Poirier said. “It is a consensus document that provides expert perspective based on the results of recent scientific studies.” 

Bariatric surgery encompasses various procedures that decrease appetite while restricting food intake and/or causing food to pass through the gastro-intestinal tract without being fully absorbed or digested. The American Heart Association has long considered bariatric surgery an option to be evaluated carefully based on each patient’s medical profile.

Source: Reprinted with editorial adaptations from materials provided by American Heart Association. http://www.newsroom.heart.org/index.php?s=43&item=1275

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