An interesting article on bariatric (weight loss) surgery and the death rate from any cause was published in the journal Obesity on January 25, 2023. It was based on retrospective research on death rates comparing obese patients who had any of the 4 major types of weight loss surgery with obese patients who did not have surgery.
Over a 40 year timespan, patients who had surgery had a16% lower death rate from any cause than patients with the same level of obesity who did not have surgery.
Four specific causes of death were analyzed, which showed a lower percent of deaths from heart disease (29% less), cancer (43% less), diabetes (72% less), and suicide (2.4 times more than non-surgical patients); but this was mainly in younger patients undergoing surgery when they were between ages 18 and 34.
So, bariatric surgery reduces the death rate from any cause except for suicide, but that was mainly a problem in patients who underwent surgery at a younger age.
The higher suicide rate in younger patients led the researchers to conclude that a thorough psychological evaluation needs to be done before surgery, and close follow-up by a mental health provider should take place after surgery.
Peter M. Hartmann, MD
Family Medicine & Psychiatry
