Illnesses improve with excess weight loss

New York -- U.S. scientists say gastric band patients losing less than half of their excess weight within a year of surgery experience dramatically improved health.

New York University School of Medicine researchers followed 50 gastric band surgery patients for two years to determine the minimum excess weight loss needed to cause resolution or maximum improvement of obesity-related conditions.

During gastric banding, a band is placed around the upper part of the stomach, creating a small pouch that can only hold a small amount of food.

That helps patients lose weight by limiting the amount of food consumed.

Patients losing 50 percent of their weight within a year of the surgery substantially resolved or improved type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and sleep apnea.

While patients on average lost more than 60 percent of their excess weight after two years, even 30 percent excess weight loss in less than a year was enough to significantly improve or resolve type 2 diabetes in 87.5 percent of patients.

The findings were presented Wednesday in Washington during the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.