Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery is an option for people who are severely obese and cannot lose weight by traditional means or who suffer from serious obesity-related health problems. The operation promotes weight loss and reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by restricting food intake.

What is Bariatric Surgery?

Exercise and diet alone often fails to effectively treat people with extreme and excessive obesity. Bariatric surgery is an operation that is performed in order to help such individuals lose weight. Evidence suggests that bariatric surgery may lower death rates for patients with severe obesity, especially when coupled with healthy eating and lifestyle changes after surgery.

Bariatric Surgery Side Effects

Bariatric Surgery Types

Diet After Bariatric Surgery

Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery

Taste Changes Following Bariatric Surgery

Metabolic Syndrome and Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric Surgery Research

Latest Bariatric Surgery News and Research

Bariatric surgery associated with longer life expectancy

People who have undergone obesity (bariatric) surgery live three years longer, on average, than those given conventional treatment for their obesity, a University of Gothenburg study shows. Compared with the general population, however, both groups' excess mortality is high.

15 Oct 2020

Study shows fatty liver disease is a significant risk factor for COVID-19 hospitalization

A recent observational study by US researchers reveals that individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and steatohepatitis have increased odds of hospitalization due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19); conversely, metabolic surgery was found to be protective against the admission of infected individuals. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

3 Sep 2020

Gastric bypass surgery is the most effective therapy to treat type 2 diabetes

Gastric bypass surgery is the most effective therapy to treat or reverse type 2 diabetes in severely obese patients.

20 Aug 2020

New insights into how high-protein diet protects against fatty liver

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common chronic liver disease in the world, with sometimes life-threatening consequences.

18 Aug 2020

Diet, not gastric bypass surgery, accounts for improved health

In many studies, bariatric surgery has been highlighted as an almost magical method for weight loss and reversing type 2 diabetes.

13 Aug 2020

Paired surgical approach improves chances for heart transplant in obese patients

Patients with obesity are at higher risk of developing heart failure. And yet, many obese patients face obstacles to getting heart transplants, as recovery is considered to be more challenging and risky in individuals with high body mass.

27 Jul 2020

Public insurance users pay more for bariatric surgery compared to private insurance patients

A new study from the University of Georgia finds that users of public insurance are paying more for bariatric weight loss surgery compared to private insurance patients.

14 Jul 2020

Senators Cassidy and Carper urge CMS to update restrictive coverage policies on obesity drugs and IBT

U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Thomas Carper (D-Del.) are calling on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to lift regulations that deny insurance coverage for obesity drugs and that limit coverage of Intensive Behavioral Therapy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

10 Jul 2020

Increase in sedentary behavior can contribute to cardiovascular health deterioration

The adverse side effects of the social isolation measures implemented to combat COVID-19 include an increase in sedentary behavior and physical inactivity, which can contribute to a deterioration in cardiovascular health even in the short term. Older people and people with chronic diseases tend to be most affected.

24 Jun 2020

ASMBS calls for safe and rapid resumption of metabolic and bariatric surgery

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), the leading organization of bariatric surgeons and integrated health professionals in the nation, declared metabolic and bariatric surgery "medically necessary and the best treatment for those with the life-threatening and life-limiting disease of severe obesity" and called for the safe and rapid resumption of procedures, which have been largely postponed along with other surgeries deemed elective amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

23 Jun 2020

COVID ‐19 stay‐at‐home orders influence health behaviors of patients with obesity

Shelter-in-place orders to reduce the spread of COVID-19 put unusual strains on people with obesity, making it more difficult for them to eat properly and manage their weight, according to a UT Southwestern study.

11 Jun 2020

COVID-19 pandemic impacts mental, physical health of people with obesity

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant impact on people with obesity as they struggle to manage their weight and mental health during shelter-in-place orders, according to research led by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and UT Southwestern.

10 Jun 2020

Family meals promote healthy communication

Engaging in family meals may be a matter of improving communication and support at home. A new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier.

8 Jun 2020

New technique prevents nipple discoloration in men after breast reduction surgery

Surgeons at UT Southwestern Medical Center have pioneered a new technique that prevents nipple discoloration and preserves shape in men who undergo breast reduction surgery following significant weight loss.

4 Jun 2020

RYGB surgery patients can benefit from anti-obesity medications

Researchers have discovered that anti-obesity medications such as phentermine and topiramate, used individually or in combination, can significantly reduce weight regain in patients after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, according to a retrospective study published online in Obesity, the flagship journal of The Obesity Society.

22 May 2020

Bariatric surgery may alter gene expression in fat tissue

Altered gene expression in fat tissue may help explain why individuals who have regained weight after weight loss surgery still experience benefits such as metabolic improvements and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

21 May 2020

Study shows huge effect of obesity on pancreatic cancer development

Pancreatic cancer is expected to become the second-deadliest cancer in the United States by 2030, driven in part by rising obesity rates.

17 Apr 2020

Gastric bypass may be the best surgical option in patients with NAFLD

Bariatric surgery may be an effective treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), suggests a new study accepted for presentation at ENDO 2020, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, and publication in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

31 Mar 2020

Weight loss lasts long after bariatric surgery, study finds

Weight loss was maintained better after gastric bypass than after sleeve gastrectomy in large study of diverse patients in Washington and California.

17 Mar 2020

Bacteria may be involved in the development of type 2 diabetes, study shows

Bacteria may be involved in the development of type 2 diabetes, according to a study published today in Nature Metabolism by researchers from Université Laval, the Québec Heart and Lung Institute, and McMaster University.

9 Mar 2020