Bariatric surgery may result in significant cardiometabolic improvements, especially among younger people, women, white people, and people without comorbidities, according to a new study published in . Journal of the Endocrine Society.

The United States has the highest obesity rate in the world. From 2017 to 2018, approximately 40% of U.S. adults were obese, and 9% were severely obese. Prevalence is particularly high among black adults. Bariatric surgery is one way to help severely obese people significantly lose weight and improve their health.

Our research highlights that bariatric surgery not only leads to significant weight loss, but also significantly improves heart health. These health benefits include lower blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar levels, and an estimated 35% reduction in his 10-year cardiovascular disease risk one year after surgery. ”

Dr. Ray Wang, MD, study author, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee;

“Additionally, 30% to 50% of people in our study experienced remission of their diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia,” added co-author Danxia Yu, Ph.D., of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. . “Those who were younger, female, self-identified as Caucasian, and without a history of cardiometabolic disease tended to have more pronounced cardiometabolic improvements after surgery.”

Researchers analyzed more than 7,800 people between the ages of 20 and 79 who underwent bariatric surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center from 1999 to 2022. Although most of the study participants were female and white, the study also included a significant number of male and black patients, who have been underrepresented in bariatric surgery research.

Researchers evaluated various cardiometabolic improvements including blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, and HbA1c. They also measured remission rates for diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, as well as estimated 10-year cardiovascular disease risk.

Patients who were older, male or black had a smaller 10-year reduction in heart disease risk and lower odds of remission of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia compared with younger female or white patients. Patients with a history of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease showed less cardiometabolic improvement than those without.

“Our findings can help improve health outcomes for severely obese patients and help recognize patients who need additional health care after surgery,” said Dr. Wang.

Other study authors include Xiao-Ou Shu, You Chen, Brandon Williams, Matthew Spann, Charles Flynn, and Wayne English of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Michael O’Brien and Xinmen Zhang of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee; and Vance Albaugh of the Metamol Research Institute, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.