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Bariatric Surgery Can Prevent Premature Aging

posted by Admin User at 2016-07-19 10:07:00

It is well known that carrying around extra weight can have deleterious effects on the body both physically and mentally…but did you know that people suffering from obesity are also at risk for premature aging? This is mostly due to the inflammation that additional fat tissue causes. In fact, the more someone weighs, the older their cells appear, therefore adding what is estimated as the equivalent of nine years to a person's body.

But now, there is exciting new research showing that bariatric surgery might actually help reverse the signs of premature aging that is associated with obesity. The study was presented this week at the 2016 Frontiers in Cardiovascular Biology that took place in Florence, Italy.

The research analyzed data from 76 patients who had an average age of 40 years old and a body mass index (BMI) of at least 35 kg/m2, with the average BMI being 44.5 kg/m2. Every patient had been referred for bariatric surgery after failing to lose weight through other interventions.

Blood samples were taken from the study participants before surgery, and one and two years after the surgery. They were used to compare aging markers present in the blood before and after bariatric surgery. The results showed that telomeres were 80% longer than they had been pre-surgery – telomeres are the internal clock of a cell, which get shorter with age.

"Obese people are prematurely old," said lead author Dr. Philipp Hohensinner, a researcher at the Medical University of Vienna in Vienna, Austria. "They have an increased level of inflammation, with higher levels of inflammatory cytokines (small proteins important in cell signaling) in their fat tissue. Obese people also have shorter telomeres at the end of their chromosomes.”

“Obesity, and specifically having a lot of fat tissue, seems to put the entire body under increased stress”. Dr. Hohensinner said. “By losing weight and therefore adipose (fat) tissue, that stress reduces, and the body becomes younger. This is positive news for patients who have bariatric surgery because it shows that the damage from obesity can be reversed. Bariatric surgery drastically reduces the amount of food patients can eat. People lose around 30 to 40% of their whole body weight in the first year.”

Once again, the benefits of bariatric surgery extend far beyond just that of weight loss – this is why surgical interventions for weight loss are a widely accepted treatment option for those suffering from overweight and obesity, as well as health conditions associated with carrying around extra weight.

Study points to why Bariatric Surgery has such lasting effects - it's all about the fat cells.

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posted by Admin User at 2016-07-18 09:31:00

A study published in Obesity Reviews has declared that bariatric surgery is linked to an improvement in adipose (fat) tissue function. It has been long known that fat cells contained in adipose tissue play a role in metabolic and hormonal functions, and now there is evidence that some of the improvement seen in adipose tissue function after bariatric surgery is independent from just the weight loss alone.

Henriette Frikke-Schmidt, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and her colleagues published their findings in the June 8th edition of the online journal, Obesity Reviews.

Bariatric surgery is currently the most effective method for weight loss and has been proven to improve insulin sensitivity and whole body metabolic function. The research aimed to study any effect of weight loss surgery on the physiology of adipose tissue which contributes to the metabolic function of some of these procedures.

The researchers found that the alteration in adipose tissue functions leads to a change in specific elements of various fat deposits, the function of individual adipocytes, and the interaction between adipose tissue and other metabolic tissues. Aside from a large loss in fat matter in patients who have gone through bariatric surgery, the fat distribution shifts from visceral to the subcutaneous compartment which triggers an improvement in metabolism.

Additionally, changes were noticed in lipolysis (fat breakdown), adipokine (cell-signaling hormone) secretion and inflammation. Improvement in sensitivity towards lipolysis, controlled by insulin and catecholamines, was observed. Adipokine secretion is altered, and there is a decrease in local adipose inflammation and systemic inflammatory markers. All of these changes might help contribute to the lasting effect that bariatric surgery tends to have on weight loss, vs diet/medications/exercise.

Not all of these changes can be attributed to just the weight loss alone as some of these changes were found to be independent of the actual weight loss. Possible causes for these effects includes changes in bile acid metabolism, gut microbiota and central regulation of metabolism.

"In conclusion, bariatric surgery is capable of improving aspects of adipose tissue function and do so in some cases in ways that are not entirely explained by the potent effect of surgery," the authors wrote in the summary of the research.

Pounds Stay Off Ten Years after Weight-Loss Surgery, and People are Healthier

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posted by Admin User at 2016-07-17 10:03:00

According to a recent study, patients who have been through weight-loss surgery 10 years ago had managed to keep off most of the weight they’d lost in a decade. Along with losing weight, patients also saw a decrease in other medical problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint diseases and breathing problems while asleep.

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Community Information Seminar: Bariatric Surgery in Utica, NY

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posted by Admin User at 2016-07-12 10:18:00

Considering Bariatric Surgery? For yourself or for a loved one?

Learn more about how to best start your journey! Join the bariatric surgeons of William A. Graber MD, PC on the second Wednesday of every month at 6:00pm.

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