Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1189102
AN ARTICLE RECENTLY published in The New England Journal of Medicine comparing the weight-loss and health outcomes of adolescents five years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery with those of adult counterparts highlighted the potential benefits of undergoing bariatric surgery earlier in life. The Teen–Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen–LABS) study, which focused on adolescents, was created using the same design features and data collection forms employed by the original LABS study, which focused on adults. Additionally, the comparison data from the LABS study was narrowed down to participants who self-reported having been obese — a BMI of 30 or above — at age 18. "We observed that adults and adolescents had comparable weight-loss outcomes," says Todd Jenkins, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Surgery and Co-Director of the Data Coordinating Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and statistician for the Teen-LABS study. "However, we noted differences in regards to comorbid conditions, as adolescents were significantly more likely to achieve or maintain remission of hypertension [68% versus 41%] and Type 2 diabetes [86% versus 53%] through the five-year follow-up period." ADDRESSING OBESITY EARLIER The results may bolster arguments that adolescents should not wait until adulthood to pursue bariatric surgery. Previous research indicates that while positive lifestyle changes may be able to help overweight individuals achieve long-term weight loss, it is unlikely to benefit individuals who have sustained obesity long-term. "If you have an overweight adolescent whose weight is greater than the 99th percentile [which typically correlates to a BMI of approximately 40 or higher], that child is almost guaranteed to grow up and become an obese adult," says Brian Carmine, MD, FACS, Surgical Director of the Adolescent Weight-Loss Surgery Program at Boston Children's Hospital, who was not involved with this study. "No diet or exercise regimen has been shown to be successful in getting adolescents above that percentile down to a healthy weight." Additionally, Dr. Carmine notes, severe obesity has been found NE W RESE ARCH FINDS THAT FOLLOWING BARIATRIC SURGERY, SE VERELY OBESE ADOLESCENTS ARE MORE LIKELY THAN THEIR ADULT COUNTERPARTS TO E XPERIENCE COMPLE TE REMISSION OF KE Y COMORBIDITIES. BY JENNA HAINES Weighing the Risks and Benefits of Adolescent Bariatric Surgery 1 4❱❱❱❱❱ S P E C I A L C L I N I C A L S E C T I O N : B A R I A T R I C S