New findings support the benefits of bariatric surgery in severely obese adolescents

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.November 24, 2020

Eighty to 90% of teens benefit from sustained weight loss after bariatric surgery, and most experience remission of obesity-related complications such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and musculoskeletal pain, among others. In a new study published in Obesity, researchers from Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado) showed that, with the exception of cholesterol and triglyceride levels, remission of obesity-related complications did not depend on greater and sustained weight loss. Rather, most teens benefited from remission of obesity-related complications, an observation independent of whether or not they lost a significant amount of weight.

We believe the results of this study are very encouraging. Because the amount of weight loss doesn’t seem to prevent sustained remission of many obesity-related complications, the study supports the myriad benefits of bariatric surgery for severely obese teens. These patients are often able to stop taking type 2 diabetes and hypertension medications after surgery. In this way, not only does their quality of life improve dramatically, but no longer bearing the costs of managing these complications can offset the cost of the intervention over time “.

Sarkis Christopher (Chris) Derderian, MD, a pediatric surgery fellow at Children’s Colorado

In the study, Derderian and colleagues compared the remission rates of obesity-associated complications between two groups of patients: those who experienced less than 20 percent total body weight loss five years after surgery and those who experienced a total body weight loss of 20% or more over the same period of time. All 192 study participants were part of a multi-center study led by Children’s Colorado researchers known as Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS).

Specifically, the researchers found that 40.6% of the study participants showed total body weight loss <20% mentre il 59,4% ha mostrato una perdita di peso corporeo totale> 20% at five years. While the latter group saw greater improvement in cholesterol levels, remission of other complications appeared to be independent of whether or not participants achieved greater and sustained weight loss.

“Looking at the relationship between the magnitude of weight loss and the health benefits achieved, it is clear that patients’ health improves regardless of whether or not they sustain high levels of long-term weight loss after surgery.” said Thomas H. MD, PhD, principal investigator of Teen-LABS and director of pediatric surgery and bariatric center at Children’s Colorado. “While this study is incredibly promising, more research is needed to determine whether the same benefits are seen in patients who only sustain 5 to 10 percent weight loss over time. However, this study supports the recognition of bariatric surgery as a more effective intervention. effective to promote significant and lasting weight loss in severely obese adolescents. “

This study used Teen-LABS data. Teen-LABS was founded in 2007 and is the largest and only NIH-sponsored multi-center research on adolescent bariatric surgery. Teen-LABS is an ongoing study involving six clinical centers in the United States, including Children’s Hospital Colorado, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Alabama, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.