Having
Bariatric Surgery may reduce your risk for heart disease.
That's the finding presented at the American College of Cardiology's 55th Annual Scientific Sessions by researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. They found surgery patients' 10-year risk for death or cardiovascular events, such as heart attack, decreased from 37 percent to 18 percent. Those in the control group of the study were enrolled in a weight-reduction program but had no decreased risk.
Lead researcher John Bastis, M.D., says, "We believed the surgical patients would have a modest reduced risk, but instead we discovered there are significant and long-lasting heart benefits for this group."
The surgery patients showed more significant improvements than those in the control group in aspects such as: body weight, lipid levels and blood pressure -- despite a reduction in medications for diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.
"We feel confident that a procedure like bariatric surgery is an effective alternative to current therapies, which can have a considerable and lasting improvement in cardiac health. For the patients who are eligible for surgery, this suggests a reduced risk of cardiac events or death," Dr. Bastis says.
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