CBT along with bariatric surgery
Q: I’m 65 and have struggled with my weight for years (I am five-foot-five and weigh 220 pounds). Is it safe to get bariatric surgery at my age and weight? — Carol G., Akron, Ohio
A: The Annual Obesity Week meeting that wrapped up in Washington, D.C., at the beginning of November offered new insights into the benefits and risks of weight-loss surgeries.
One major revelation was from a follow-up study that tracked 367 folks ages 60 to 75 who had either sleeve gastrectomy, or open or laparoscopic Roux-en-y gastric bypass between 2007 and 2017. These participants had an average body mass index of 46.9 (yours is 36.6); were taking more than eight medications for various conditions; and almost 63 per cent had Type 2 diabetes. (Obesity and stress make your Realage — the physical age of your body and the real age-related risk for postoperative complications — much older.)
The participants’ 90-day major and minor complication rates post-surgery were 5.6 per cent and 16 per cent, respectively, comparable to the rates of younger patients. At one year out, they’d reduced their daily meds by an average of three drugs. Three years after their surgery, the group had shed more than 60 per cent of their excess weight, and almost 46 per cent were free of Type 2 diabetes. Overall, the surgery was as safe and effective for older folks as for younger folks.
The conference also highlighted a study showing that cognitive behavioural therapy addressing disordered eating habits before weight-loss surgery helps make the benefits of gastric bypass more substantial and enduring.
One important warning: a University of California, Irvine, study found that people who had laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and were discharged on the same day as that surgery had over a five-fold increased odds of death versus those who were discharged the following day. Even though the overall risk in either case is low, if you opt for that form of weight-loss surgery, talk to your surgeon about staying overnight in the hospital.
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen at youdocsdaily@sharecare.com.