Weight-loss surgery linked to better survival
Ten years after operation, obese people’s mortality was roughly halved
By Nathan Seppa
Obese adults who undergo weight-loss surgery are more likely to survive the next decade than those who don’t. A study in the January 6 JAMA finds that, compared with obese people who had no surgery, patients who elected bariatric surgery had mortality rates roughly half as high 5 and 10 years after the operation.
Earlier research had shown the surgery can induce weight loss, reverse type 2 diabetes in many people and protect against heart problems (SN: 9/10/2011, p. 26). Some studies also showed lower mortality rates, but those data largely came from women and young to middle-aged adults.