Weight Loss Durable for Years After Bariatric Surgery in Teens

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 6, 2024 (HealthDay News) — For teens undergoing bariatric surgery, weight loss and remission of coexisting conditions are durable after 10 years, according to a research letter published online in the Oct. 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Justin R. Ryder, Ph.D., of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and colleagues reported the 10-year outcomes for the Teen Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery study. The analysis included 161 adolescents who underwent gastric bypass and 99 who underwent sleeve gastrectomy at a mean age of 17 years (83 percent followed to 10 years).

The researchers found that at 10 years, body mass index (BMI) decreased significantly (mean change, −20.0 percent), with similar changes between gastric bypass (mean change, −20.6 percent) and sleeve gastrectomy (mean change, −19.2 percent). Four distinct trajectories of changes in BMI over time were identified through a latent class analysis. Greater early weight loss (change in BMI at six months) was associated with a more favorable long-term BMI trajectory (odds ratio, 1.16). Remission of coexisting conditions at 10 years postsurgery was 55 percent for type 2 diabetes, 57 percent for hypertension, and 54 percent for dyslipidemia, indicating durable responses for most participants.

“These findings show the long-term durability of weight loss and remission of coexisting conditions after bariatric surgery, as well as the greater health benefits and durability of the effects in adolescents than would be expected in similarly treated adults,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to relevant organizations.

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