By Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter
Weight-loss surgery can reduce the risk of heart attack, type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related health problems, a new study says.
“Bariatric surgery is safe and produces unrivaled health benefits that are life-changing for patients and cost-saving [for Britain’s National Health Service],” said study co-author Rachel Batterham, head of the Bariatric Centre for Weight Management and Metabolic Surgery at University College London Hospital. She is also a professor at the Centre for Obesity Research at University College London in England.
“Unfortunately, less than 1 percent of the patients who could benefit from this surgery currently receive surgery. This represents a major missed opportunity in terms of improving health and economic savings. Action is now needed to remedy this situation,” she said in a news release from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
