A new study indicates that gastric bypass surgery may be an effective intervention for severely obese teens. The study, which was reported online this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, included 50 Australian youth aged 14 to 18 with body mass indexes (BMIs) of more than 35. Half of the youth underwent gastric bypass surgery, the other half receive lifestyle interventions. Both groups were followed for a period of two years.

Teens who had surgery lost an average of 79 percent of their excess weight; youth in the lifestyle intervention cohort lost an average of 13 percent of their excess weight.

In addition, nine teens in the surgery group and 10 teens in the lifestyles group began the study with metabolic syndrome; at the end of the study, none of these teens who underwent surgery still suffered from the syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors that includes excess abdominal fat, high blood pressure and insulin resistance.

(Source: latimes.com)

Labels: obesity, gastric bypass, teen

Posted By: Aspen Education Group