MPH’s Heerman: Adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery still at risk
Weight-loss surgery may help severely obese teens with type 2 diabetes far more than medication and lifestyle changes alone, new research suggests.
A small analysis found that bariatric surgery did a "far better" job than drug and lifestyle management in achieving significant weight loss and reversing diabetes, said study lead author Dr. Thomas Inge.
All surgery comes with some risk, said Dr. William Heerman, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. He was not involved with the study. The findings confirm results already seen among adults with diabetes, but said "we don't yet know the long-term risks and benefits for adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery."