Study Shows Bariatric Surgery Reduces Risk for Heart Attack, Stroke in TeensBy
Charlene Laino
WebMD Health News
Reviewed By
Louise Chang, MD
Nov. 17, 2009 (Orlando, Fla.) — Weight loss surgery quickly
improves the heart health of obese teens and continues to do
so for at least two years, researchers report.
In a study of morbidly obese children, cardiac risk
factors improved within six months of bariatric surgery.
“Importantly, these improvements persisted for at least two years following
profound weight loss,” says Holly M.
Ippisch, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s
Hospital Medical Center.
By reversing heart abnormalities early in
life, “we can reduce their risk of heart disease as adults,” she
tells WebMD.

Weight Loss Surgery and Heart Health

The study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart
Association, involved 83 morbidly obese teens, 21 of whom have been followed
for two years.
Among the findings:

• The average body mass index (BMI) of the
  teens dropped from 58 before surgery to 38 two years later. Normal BMI is 18.5
  to 24.9. “One boy, who was 356 …
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