Weight Loss Surgery Can Reduce Cancer Risk

Weight loss surgery might have more value than simply helping morbidly obese people to shed unhealthy extra pounds. It reduces their risk of cancer to rates almost similar to those of people of normal weight. This is the conclusion of the first comprehensive

taking into account relevant studies about obesity, cancer rates and a weight loss procedure called bariatric surgery. Published in Springer’s journal Obesity Surgery

the review was led by Daniela Casagrande of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.

review article

With bariatric surgery, a part of a patient’s stomach is reduced to a small pouch. This pouch is attached directly to the small intestine, bypassing most of the rest of the stomach and the upper part of the small intestine to ensure long-term weight loss and to reduce the chances of early deaths due to severe obesity. Cancer rates in obese people are as high as 2.12 cases per 1,000 person-years.* Because previous studies suggested a relationship between bariatric surgery and reduced cancer risk among obese people, Casagrande and her colleagues set out to shed light on these claims. They contrasted and combined results from 13 relevant studies that focus on the incidence of cancer in patients following bariatric surgery. These include both controlled and uncontrolled studies, and the relevant information of 54,257 participants.

Press release:

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Source: Springer