Weight loss procedure reverses structural damage to heart

Weight loss procedure gastric bypass remodels heart

A weight loss procedure called gastric bypass surgery can reverse the structural damage seen in hearts of obese people, a study published Feb. 18 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows.

Obesity has been linked to structural changes in the heart such as thicker heart muscle or enlargement which can lead to heart failure. Other heart problems like abnormal heart rhythm and sudden cardiac death are also linked to obesity.

The researchers studied 400 obese patients who underwent  gastric bypass surgery to induce weight loss. They compared this group to another set of 300 obese individuals who did not have the procedure.

Follow-up after two years showed that the BMI of those who had the procedure fell from 48 to 32 on average and each person has lost an average of about 100 pounds. Their blood pressures, heart rates, and cholesterol levels also went down.

A "remodeling" of the heart have been detected in echocardiograms, an ultrasound test, indicating that the heart had improved its pumping ability than before.

"We know obese people get cardiovascular disease more often than non-obese people," said study author Dr. Sheldon Litwin, who is chief of the cardiology department at the Medical College of Georgia. "One of the questions out there is: 'Is it reversible if they lose weight?' The answer is yes."

Weight loss surgical procedures have increased from 16,800 in 1992 to over 200,000 in 2007, the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery says. But the relative risk and high cost of bariatric procedures have prevented it from being an option to the majority of obese people.

Posted by George Daniels on Monday February 07 2011, 3:43 AM EST. Ref: USA Today. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0