Weight-Loss Surgery Linked With Lower Heart Attack Risk

(Reuters) - Obese people who had weight-loss surgery were less likely to later suffer a heart attack or stroke, or to die from one, compared to people who did not have the surgery, according to a Swedish study.

The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, come from a study of more than 4,000 obese people treated at 500 surgery departments and health care centers in Sweden.

Between 1987 and 2001, half of those people opted for bariatric or weight-loss surgeries, most often stomach stapling, and the other half were treated with routine care, including advice on lifestyle changes.

"Compared with usual care, bariatric surgery was associated with reduced number of cardiovascular deaths and lower incidence of cardiovascular events in obese adults," wrote lead researcher Lars Sjostrom at the University of Gothenburg.

The patients were followed for more than a decade, on average, to see how many of them suffered a heart attack or stroke.

In total, 199 who underwent bariatric surgery had their first heart attack or stroke, and 28 died as a result. By comparison, 234 people who decided against the surgery suffered a heart attack or stroke, and 49 died.

"This is very beneficial in filling that gap -- we just have so little long-term data," said Ted Adams, a researcher who has studied bariatric surgery and health outcomes at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City.

Adams, who wasn't involved in the study, added that the results will help inform doctors and patients about the surgery's long-term consequences.

The study doesn't prove that weight-loss surgery cuts the risk of heart disease, and some experts say there are still many questions about its benefits and risks.

When the researchers took into account the initial health differences between people who did and did not get surgery, they found that after the surgery, patients were about 30 percent less likely to have a first-time heart attack or stroke than non-surgery patients, and half as likely to die from one.

Study participants who had weight-loss surgery started out with an average body mass index (BMI) of about 42. They lost an average of 16 percent of their starting weight over the 15 years after the procedure.

By contrast, the comparison group, which started out a bit lighter, didn't consistently lose or gain weight over time.

About 13 percent of the surgery group had complications after the operation and how much weight patients lost in either group wasn't tied to their chances of having a heart attack or stroke, Sjostrom and his colleagues wrote.

One reason is that the surgery has other health benefits independent of the amount of weight loss, including a reduction in diabetes, which could ease heart risks -- all things to consider when deciding whether to have surgery, Adams said.

Other doctors said that given the uncertainty that still exists about the procedures, the fact that the heart benefits are small and that some patients regain weight, those without other health risks might want to carefully weigh having the surgery done.

"We don't really know the full spectrum of long-term benefits and risks for these operations," said Edward Livingston, a professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas who wrote a commentary published with the study.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/zl1o4p

(Reporting by Genevra Pittman at Rueters Health; diting by Elaine Lies and Idayu Suparto)

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Comments

[dugins]

01:31 PM on 01/05/2012

You can feel that it is cheating to have bariatric surgery but it can save your life. 5 years ago I was given 2 years to live. I have had a bad heart all my life. which made it very difficult to loss weight. I had congestive heart failure and the doctors had installed an internal defibulator in my chest. My weight had reached 350 pounds when I had my gastic sleeve procedure. The doctors basically take out 75% of your stomach. I have lost and kept off 135 pounds, my hearts ejection fraction has tripled. I watch what I eat, take supplements and go to the gym 4 times a week. If I had not had the surgery I would have been dead by now. It does save your heart and your life. I would do it again in a heart beat LOL.

[susanbsbi]

11:57 AM on 01/05/2012

2 years ago I weighed 250 pounds, with out surgery I lost 100 pounds on my own with a mind set that if I didn't I would never see the year 2015. I feel that the surgery is a waste of money and a lazy persons way to lose weight. My sister in law, tried that surgery, she lost 75 pounds, but 3 years latter had gained it all back. I learned to eat smaller meals 5 times a day, take B6 and exercise. That worked for me. First and foremost you have to be committed to do it, just like with the surgery, you have to cut your food intake to just 1/4 cup of food 5 times a day and all protein.

I just started using a salad plate and cut my calories to 1200 per day. I keep the weight off by eating the same way, with 3 to 4 days a month I allow me 2000 calories. Now my goal is to make it to 2020 and stay at the same weight.