Teens who had bariatric surgery maintain weight loss, diabetes remission 10 years later

Nov 03, 2024

A decade after receiving gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy as adolescents, many people maintain their weight loss and achieve remission of obesity-related conditions, including diabetes, according to a study.

Ten-year outcomes of the Teen-LABS study were published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

“These findings show the long-term durability of weight loss and remission of coexisting conditions after bariatric surgery,” Justin R. Ryder, PhD, vice chair of research for the department of surgery at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and colleagues wrote.

The multicenter observational cohort study is a follow-up to Teen-LABS, which included 161 adolescents aged 13 to 19 years (mean age, 17 years) who received gastric bypass surgery and 99 who received sleeve gastrectomy.

Ryder and colleagues evaluated BMI and cardiometabolic outcomes for 83% of the original participants 10 years after receiving gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy.

According to the 5-year follow-up study researchers published in 2019, at baseline, participants’ mean BMI was 50 kg/m2, 14% had type 2 diabetes and 57% were taking antihypertensive medications.

As Healio previously reported, participants experienced a 26% decrease in weight after 5 years. According to the newly published data, at 10 years, they experienced a mean BMI decrease of 20% (95% CI, –22.9 to – 17.1). Ryder and colleagues noted that the results were similar for gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy.

More than half of participants with type 2 diabetes or hypertension at baseline achieved remission after 10 years (57%; 95% CI, 39% to 75%; and 54%; 95% CI, 42% to 66%, respectively), according to the study.

“The percentage of participants with remission of type 2 diabetes at 10 years far exceeded the 18% and 12% reported among adults at 7 and 12 years, respectively, in a recent multicenter randomized controlled trial,” the researchers wrote.

As Healio previously reported, bariatric surgery is becoming less common as GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs grow in popularity.

“Given the recent use of effective anti-obesity medications, it is imperative to directly study the relative efficacy and risks of medical and surgical treatment approaches — both of which hold promise to improve the lives and health of adolescents with severe obesity,” they wrote.

Collapse

Ryder JR, et al. New Engl J Med. 2024;doi:10.1056/NEJMc2404054.

Read more about