A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that ten years after undergoing bariatric surgery during their teenage years, more than half of the participants maintained significant weight loss. Additionally, many of these individuals showed improvements in obesity-related conditions, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

“Our study demonstrates remarkable results from the longest follow-up of weight loss surgery during adolescence, confirming that bariatric surgery is a safe and effective long-term strategy for managing obesity,” stated lead author Justin Ryder, PhD. He is the Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Surgery at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and an Associate Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Bariatric surgery is significantly under-utilized in the U.S., with only one out of every 2,500 teens with severe obesity undergoing the procedure. Based on existing recommendations, nearly five million adolescents qualify for effective weight loss interventions, such as bariatric surgery.

Hillary Fisher, now 31 years old, is glad she decided to undergo surgery at the age of 16. She was one of 260 adolescents who participated in the long-term Teen-LABS study.

“I felt overwhelmed by the daily struggles I faced due to my weight, health issues, and bullying in high school,” Ms. Fisher said. “After several unsuccessful attempts to lose weight, I weighed 260 pounds, and we decided that bariatric surgery was the solution. It changed my life; the improved health and self-esteem that came with losing 100 pounds were significant for me, and I would absolutely do it again.”

Notably, the study found that 55 per cent of the participants who had type 2 diabetes as teenagers and underwent surgery were still in remission of their diabetes at 10 years. 

“This is considerably better than the outcomes reported in people who underwent bariatric surgery as adults, a major reason why treating obesity seriously in adolescents is so important,” added Dr. Ryder. 

Indeed, a recent multi-centre randomized controlled trial found diabetes type 2 remission in adults to be 12-18 per cent at seven to 12 years after bariatric surgery.