Weight loss surgery improved or eliminated diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea and high cholesterol in the vast majority of morbidly obese patients who underwent the procedure, according to a study reported in the October 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers reviewed over 130 studies that included more than 22,000 weight loss surgery patients and reported on the impact weight loss surgery had on these four obesity-related conditions.

"This study clearly demonstrates that the benefits of weight loss surgery go far beyond weight loss for most patients," said study co-author Henry Buchwald, MD, of the University of Minnesota. "Weight loss surgery appears to be one of the most effective treatments for diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea and high cholesterol in morbidly obese patients."

Morbid obesity is defined as 100 or more pounds overweight or a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more. According to the American Society of Bariatric Surgery, more than 120,000 people will undergo weight loss or bariatric surgery this year and about 8 million people in the U.S. are morbidly obese.

The study found that the surgery eliminated diabetes in 76.8% patients and hypertension in 61.7% patients. Hypertension was also resolved or improved in 78.5% patients. Obstructive sleep apnea or sleep-disordered breathing was eliminated in 85.7% of patients and high cholesterol levels or hyperlipidemia decreased in more than 70% of patients. The mean percentage of excess weight loss was 61.2 percent for all patients.

"Weight loss surgery may be a life saving operation for morbidly obese patients," said study co-author Eugene Braunwald, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. "Doctors and patients should evaluate this when considering weight loss surgery."

The authors pointed out that a recent study of more than 1,000 gastric bypass surgery patients published in the Annals of Surgery in September 2004 showed those that had surgery had 89 percent fewer deaths more than five years after surgery, compared with morbidly obese patients who did not have surgery.

Other sources: Journal of the American Medical Association