Compared with routine care, weight loss surgery was linked with a reduced risk of hypertension, heart failure, and early death in a study based on information from a primary care database in the UK. The findings are published in BJS (British Journal of Surgery).

Although clinical studies have shown that weight loss surgery may reduce the risk of developing and dying from cardiovascular disease, studies using real-world data are limited. In the BJS study, investigators analysed data on 5,170 patients with obesity who underwent weight loss surgery and 9,995 patients with obesity who received only routine care.

Patients who underwent surgery had a 30% lower risk of dying from any cause, a 59% lower risk of developing hypertension, and a 43% lower risk of developing heart failure, compared with patients who did not undergo surgery.

Also, patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery—a specific kind of weight loss surgery—had a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases in general compared with patients who did not have surgery.

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