Obesity is a big problem for many kids and young adults. To deal with this, some of them undergo surgery that helps them lose weight.
But, a new study warns that this operation might have harmful effects on their bones. This study was published in a journal called Radiology.
The Expert’s Voice
The head researcher of this study is Dr. Miriam A. Bredella. She’s a professor of radiology, or the science of using radiation for diagnosing and treating diseases, at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
She said that more and more kids are becoming obese, and weight-loss surgery has been a great help for them.
But, she also said that this is the first time they’ve studied how this operation affects the bones of kids and young adults in the long term.
The Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery
The weight-loss surgery is called “sleeve gastrectomy.” In this operation, doctors remove a large part of the stomach. This makes the stomach smaller, so the patient can’t eat as much and will lose weight.
This surgery has become very popular. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery reported that the number of these operations has jumped from 28,000 in 2011 to 122,000 in 2020.
The Participants of the Study
For this study, the researchers chose people between 13 and 24 years old who were obese from 2015 to 2020. They were divided into two groups.
One group had sleeve gastrectomy, and the other group didn’t. The second group was given advice on diet and exercise instead.
The Tests and Their Findings
The researchers did a bunch of tests on the participants before and two years after the surgery. They did physical examinations, blood tests, and special types of scans to check the bones in the lower back.
They also checked the amount of fat in the bone marrow, which can indicate bone health.
They found out that two years after the surgery, the patients lost a lot of weight.
But they also noticed that these patients had more fat in their bone marrow and lower bone density and strength. This suggests that the weight-loss surgery might make the bones weaker.
Why This Matters
Dr. Bredella said that the teenage years are important for building strong bones. If teenagers don’t build enough bone mass during these years, they might have weaker bones and higher risk of fractures when they grow older.
That’s why it’s important for doctors to know about the effects of weight-loss surgery on bones, especially for teenagers who are obese.
The Next Steps
Dr. Bredella hopes that this study will make more people aware of this issue. She suggests that doctors should check the bone health of their patients who’ve had weight-loss surgery.
They should make sure these patients have enough vitamin D and calcium, which are important for strong bones. If needed, they should also give other treatments to help the bones.
Finally, she said that their findings could help find new ways to treat bone problems caused by weight-loss surgery.
If you care about pain, please read studies about vitamin K deficiency linked to hip fractures in old people, and these vitamins could help reduce bone fracture risk.
For more information about wellness, please see recent studies that Krill oil could improve muscle health in older people, and eating yogurt linked to lower frailty in older people.
The study was published in Radiology.
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