Weight-Loss Surgery May Help Moderately Obese, Too

For the extremely obese, the benefits of weight-loss surgery generally outweigh the risks of the procedure. Now, new research suggests that the same might be true for less-obese people as well. For those who are mildly or moderately obese, weight-loss surgery can improve type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol more effectively than conventional diabetes management and lifestyle changes, new research suggests. "We're seeing a pattern in these studies. There's a definite impact on the diabetes after surgery. Some people don't respond so well, but most do," said Dr. Bruce Wolfe, a professor of surgery and co-director of bariatric surgery at Oregon Health & Science University, in Portland. But, he added, "We need longer-term studies to identify who's the right candidate for surgery, and we need a number of years of follow-up and a fairly large study population to see if the diabetes improvements after surgery prevent the heart disease, blindness and kidney disease associated with type 2 diabetes." http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_137492.html