|
Those who had the procedure had shed more pounds than peers who opted for lifestyle modifications, study finds
Extremely obese teenagers who had gone through gastric banding procedure lost considerably more weight than their peers who chose lifestyle changes such as going on a diet and exercising, Australian researchers say.
For the study, the research team looked at 50 adolescents 14 to 18 years of age, whose body mass index (BMI) was more than 35 (statistically, the BMI criteria for obesity starts at 30). Fifty percent of the teenagers had undergone laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding whereas the other 50 percent participated in a guided lifestyle intervention program.
Gastric banding is a surgical procedure that involves the placement of a band aimed to divide the stomach and decrease its size. The technique has been shown to be effective in causing patients feel full much quicker, speeding up the process of weight loss.
The teenagers who participated in the study were monitored for a period of twp years; 24 participants in the group who had gastric banding and 18 of those in the lifestyle modification group went on to complete the study.
The target weight loss set by the researchers was 50 percent of excess body weight. Eighty-four percent of those who had gone through gastric banding achieved the target weight loss, compared to only 12 percent of those who were in the lifestyle modification group. Two years after, teenagers who were in the gastric banding group had shed an average weight of 76 pounds, representative of an average 3.1 percent total weight loss and 13.2 percent loss of excess body weight.
At the beginning of the study, 36 percent of the participants who had the gastric banding procedure and 40 percent of those who had participated in the lifestyle modification program had metabolic syndrome. This condition is characterized by the occurrence of a cluster of symptoms that work as predisposing factors to heart disease. After a couple of years, not one patient in the gastric banding group had metabolic syndrome, while 22 percent of those in the lifestyle modification group had the condition.
On average, the adolescents who had undergone gastric banding experienced improvement in terms of quality of life, however, seven of them had to go through follow-up surgery.
Dr. Paul E. O'Brien and his fellow researchers at Monash University and the Centre for Adolescent Health, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, wrote that the findings of this study showed that "gastric banding proved to be an effective intervention leading to a substantial and durable reduction in obesity and to better health."
The researchers said that adolescents and parents need to have a clear understanding of "the importance of careful adherence to recommended eating behaviors and of seeking early consultation if symptoms of reflux, heartburn or vomiting occur. As importantly, they should be in a setting in which they can maintain contact with health professionals who understand the process of care." In their conclusion, the researchers said this study suggests that, in a setting such as the one mentioned above, "the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding process can achieve important improvements in weight, health and quality of life in severely obese adolescents."
The findings of the study are published in the Feb. 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
|
