Don't hold off weight loss surgery till you become extremely obese: Study

A new study has indicated that having a weight loss surgery before you become extremely obese will provide better results. Researchers from Wayne State University, University of Michigan and Henry Ford Health System have found that only one in three patients who have the operation are successful in getting their body-mass index (BMI) below 30 in the first year. BMI below 30 is the standard cut-off for obesity.

It was found that those who had gone for weight loss surgery while they were still under the ''morbid obesity'' BMI level of 40 had higher odds of getting their BMI below 30. However, less than nine per cent of the people who opted for the operation with a BMI above 50 were able to go down to a BMI of 30 or below in the first year itself.

Having a BMI under 30 has actually helped the patients in escaping many weight related health risks. People under this level had higher probability of discontinuing their medication for high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. They were also likely to get cured from sleep apnea, which is kind of obesity related breathing condition.

As a matter of fact, 92 per cent of the patients who were able to attain a BMI of below 30 in the first year reported that they were very much satisfied with their decision of opting for an operation. This was in comparison to 78 per cent of those who couldn't achieve the same level. 

These findings could prove to be beneficial to the surgical teams in counselling the prospective patients regarding the best time for surgery.

The study was conducted on the patients who had undergone bariatric surgery under the supervision of one of the seventy surgeons. The surgeons were based at one of the 38 participating programs in hospitals of various sizes and types. Only those patients were included who did not opt for a second surgery to revise their first one and had weight data for a period of at least one year.  

The patients who were surveyed, on an average had a BMI of 48 before getting operated. It was noted that their BMI came to the level of 33 by the end of first year. Only 36 per cent of the patients were able to get down to the level of under 30. 

The type of bariatric surgery a patient went through also mattered in this case. It was found that patients whose surgeons performed a gastric bypass, gastrectomy or duodenal switch surgery had more chances to obtain a BMI under 30. This is in comparison with those who had adjustable gastric banding placed around the stomach. 

The two groups didn't have much difference in terms of surgical complications.