Obesity surgery comes in many different forms. The option someone with this disease will choose depends on many different factors. That said, according to new research, the single best option has yet to be identified.
Long Term Obesity Surgery Results
Though many forms of obesity surgery work well over the short term, the best option for the long-term has yet to be determined. This makes it difficult for many people to make a choice when more than one option is presented to them by their doctors.
In a recent data analysis, researchers looked into the data provided through previous studies. This gave them access to the information from 2,475 obesity patients across thirteen different countries. Each of those patients had a form of obesity surgery between 2006 and 2018.
Short Term vs. Long Term Outcomes
A new form of gastric sleeve procedure called Roux-en-Y showed the most lost weight a year following surgery. That trend continued three years after the patient underwent the surgery. These results were better than those associated with traditional sleeve gastrectomy.
However, five years following that obesity surgery, the evidence simply wasn’t there to determine whether the newer or the older procedure provides superior long-term results. These conclusions were published in the Annals of Surgery journal.
Yung Lee, lead study author from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, and colleagues stated that there simply isn’t enough data available from RCTs to know for certain which type of procedure will be best and most effective over the long term.
Understanding the Strengths of Obesity Surgery
Getting to know which forms of obesity surgery will offer the best long term advantages to patients is increasingly important. As millions of Americans battle with serious weight struggles every day, understanding precisely which options will best serve their health needs over the short and long term will come to save more lives than is currently possible.
Moreover, these procedures aren’t free of risk. After all, they can involve some invasive components such as in the case of a sleeve gastrectomy in which around 80 percent of the stomach is removed using special surgical staplers. This leaves the organ much smaller and may increase the risk of malnutrition. They come with a chance of certain complications. Therefore, when patients undergo obesity surgery, it is best to know which ones will be the most effective over the long term and will therefore be worth the potential risk.
