January 26, 2015 – Bariatric Benefit

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Anchor lead: Obese men and women benefit from bariatric surgery, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Obese men as well as obese women benefit from bariatric or weight reduction surgery, a recent study finds.  Kimberly Steele, a bariatric surgeon at Johns Hopkins, applauds this study focused on overweight men.

Steele:  It certainly is reassuring to show that bariatric surgery is safe and effective and it does have substantial benefit to the obese patient. It extends the findings to another population. In most of the studies that have been done up until this point there has been a female population and that’s because overall, we see about 80% women and 20% men.  This study, having been done at the VA, looks at a larger cohort of male patients.   :31

Steele notes that safety has improved considerably since bariatric surgery has been more widely undertaken and is now usually done laparoscopically.  She points out that with some operations, people who also have diabetes can expect immediate improvement.  At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.