A study of obese adults with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and morbid obesity has shown that those who underwent bariatric surgery suffered far fewer extreme cardiovascular events subsequently.
Reporting their results in JAMA Network Open, the researchers, reported that these obese patients (BMI > 40) undergoing bariatric surgery had a 49% lower risk of developing adverse cardiovascular events.
“The findings provide evidence in support of bariatric surgery as an effective therapeutic tool to lower elevated risk of cardiovascular disease for select individuals with obesity and NAFLD,” said Vinod K. Rustgi, profesor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “These finding are tremendously impactful for many reasons.”
NAFLD, and a more advanced form known as NASH, are rapidly increasing causes of liver disease which occur because of excessive fat storage in the liver. As such it is common in obesity and type 2 diabetes.
In the study, researchers analysed outcomes data, using a medical insurance database, from 2007 to 2017. Of 230 million covered individuals, 86 964 adults between the ages of 18 and 64 who had obesity and NAFLD were identified. Of those, 68% were female, 35% underwent bariatric surgery and 65% received nonsurgical care.
Bariatric surgery patients experienced a 49% decrease in the risk of developing major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, heart failure or ischemic strokes. They were also far less likely to experience angina, atherosclerotic events or arterial blood clots.
The association between bariatric surgery and risk reduction of developing cardiovascular disease has not been studied to this level of detail before, the researchers said.
There is growing evidence that bariatric surgery, because of the weight reduction it brings about in patients, offers definitive health benefits. A study conducted by Rustgi and colleagues, published in the journal Gastroenterology in March 2021, showed that bariatric surgery can also significantly reduce the risk of cancer, especially obesity-related, in obese individuals with NAFLD. Importantly, these cancers included colorectal, pancreatic, endometrial, thyroid cancer, multiple myeloma and hepatocellular carcinoma.
“Although bariatric surgery is a more aggressive approach than lifestyle modifications, it may be associated with other benefits, such as improved quality of life and decreased long-term health care burden,” Rustgi said.
Source: Rutgers University
