10 Year Post-OP RNY Weightloss Study

[Munchkin]

Someone posted this on FB. They got it from WebMD.

Weight-Loss Surgery Sheds Pounds Long Term
10-year follow-up study finds many who had gastric bypass kept weight off
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By Kathleen Doheny

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 31, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Weight-loss surgery helps people drop a significant amount of weight, and now a new study confirms that much of the weight appears to stay off for at least 10 years.

"This study suggests that patients interested in bariatric surgery, especially gastric bypass surgery, should be able to lose a significant amount of weight and keep that weight off for a very long time," said study researcher Matt Maciejewski. He's a professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, in Durham, N.C.

While other research has found that weight-loss surgery is the most effective treatment for obese patients, there is less data on long-lasting effects. The new study is notable because of the decade-long follow-up, said Maciejewski, who is also a research career scientist at Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

In the two-part study, Maciejewski's team first looked at the results of about 1,800 men and women who had gastric bypass surgery. The investigators compared weight changes in gastric bypass surgery patients to weight changes in more than 5,300 obese veterans who had no weight-loss surgery or formal weight-loss treatment.

Gastric bypass surgery involves making the stomach smaller, and attaching the lower part of the small intestine directly to the stomach, so much of the small intestine is bypassed. After surgery, people feel much fuller, faster. The surgery also appears to alter gut hormones, gut bacteria and metabolism, according to the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

At the study's one-year mark, those who had the bypass had lost 31 percent of their starting weight, but the non-surgical patients had lost just 1 percent.

At 10 years, the researchers had weight information on 564 of the nearly 1,800 patients who had the gastric bypass. Only 19 of them had regained so much weight that they were nearly back to their starting weight; the rest kept off the weight.

Compared to the non-surgical group, the bypass group weighed 21 percent less than at the start of the study.

 

[Marquis Mark]

Here's the direct link:

https://consumer.healthday.com/vita...es-long-term-weight-loss-for-many-714392.html

It goes on to say that the study was mostly men, which is odd since I think more WLS patients are women. It also says the RNY is more effective long-term than the sleeve. Probably.

I also noted how at one year out they had lost 31% of the starting weight, but at 10 years out it was down to 21%. So on a 300 lb male, 21% would take you down to about 238 after 10 years with an RNY. Sounds about right. It's something, but it's not the DS.

 

[galaxygrrl]

It goes on to say that the study was mostly men, which is odd since I think more WLS patients are women.

The article implies the study was on veterans.

 

[southernlady]

Dh's cousin got the RNY about 2 months before he got the DS. She is back over 300 lbs, never got below 200. He's hanging in at about 175-185.

 

[Munchkin]

Here's the direct link:

https://consumer.healthday.com/vita...es-long-term-weight-loss-for-many-714392.html

It goes on to say that the study was mostly men, which is odd since I think more WLS patients are women. It also says the RNY is more effective long-term than the sleeve. Probably.

I also noted how at one year out they had lost 31% of the starting weight, but at 10 years out it was down to 21%. So on a 300 lb male, 21% would take you down to about 238 after 10 years with an RNY. Sounds about right. It's something, but it's not the DS.

Thanks!!!

 

[Clematis]

Here's another article: http://www.npr.org/sections/health-...ery-can-help-people-keep-weight-off-long-term

The part where they say the RNY only gained SEVEN POUNDS in 10 years made my jaw drop.

 

[Munchkin]

SOOOOO... Which one is it? 21% weightloss after 10 years or a regain of 7lbs? Think about this. They almost HAVE to be talking about the same cohort.

 

[DSRIGGS]

Does anybody believe that the average rny gbp patient only regained 7 lbs? I sure don't based on people I know personally and all the RnY to DS revisions we have seen on FB and other boards

 

[Munchkin]

Does anybody believe that the average rny gbp patient only regained 7 lbs? I sure don't based on people I know personally and all the RnY to DS revisions we have seen on FB and other boards

Actually, no.

 

[Jen2016]

I'm so glad that people are doubting the efficacy of these studies. I read them and wondered how in the heck did I regain all of my weight when these studies show that a very small population actually regains after the RNY. Thanks guys!

 

[Munchkin]

I'm so glad that people are doubting the efficacy of these studies. I read them and wondered how in the heck did I regain all of my weight when these studies show that a very small population actually regains after the RNY. Thanks guys!

I know one RNY who is still OK after 15 years. Not thin but just looks average. The other 10 have gained it all back plus!

 

[southernlady]

I know one RNY who is still OK after 15 years. Not thin but just looks average. The other 10 have gained it all back plus!

Many lightweight RNY'ers that I "know" are holding steady at normal BMI (or just s fuzz over) but most of them are as fanatic about their RNY as we seem to be about the DS. It is an unusual group tho.

 

[Larra]

The other atypical thing about this cohort is that they were mostly older, meaning in 50's. Most bariatric surgery patients are both female and younger, meaning 20's and 30's. So this cohort is not your usual gastric bypass patients in several ways. Does this matter, and if so to what extent, I don't know, but it doesn't make sense to me that this was the group they choose, unless it was just easy to get access to the records of a lot of veterans.

And please, no comments about the word "older"! I'm up there myself, but then again I was never typical either. If anything, the emphasis in bariatric surgery is to operate when people are younger to prevent comorbidities from progressing and to let people have more years with the benefits of the surgery.

 

[KathrynK]

"At 10 years, the researchers had weight information on 564 of the nearly 1,800 patients who had the gastric bypass. Only 19 of them had regained so much weight that they were nearly back to their starting weight; the rest kept off the weight."

I am no scientist, but if you are only looking at one-third of the people you started with, how do you know if they are representative of the whole group? Are the other 1200 patients the ones who gained and didn't come back? Are you looking at the most successful third? I would need to see the full text to know how they accounted for the missing two-thirds. I don't want to disparage the results, even if they are a little suspect, because I think it is good for patients who are trying to get surgery, more evidence for insurance companies to counter the perception that most people regain after WLS. We are the lucky ones, who had the insurance and knowledge (and guts!) to do this and to pick the surgery with the best odds of success. Anything that supports the benefits of WLS is good for some people, who would otherwise be locked out of even a slim chance of 10-year success with RNY or the sleeve.

 

[DSRIGGS]

My cousin had a RnY 3 weeks after me and with Marshall. I just saw her at my grandfathers funeral and she looked good so far. She is inky 3 years so it will be interesting how she does longer term as she loses restriction.