Have you ever thought of weight loss surgery as more than just a way to shed some pounds?
New research suggests that for women, this surgery can do double duty—it can also significantly lower the risk of getting cancer.
Not only that, but the likelihood of dying from cancer was also found to be much less among women who had this type of surgery.
This news comes as a significant advance, especially when considering how common both obesity and cancer are today.
The Study Explained
To really get into this topic, let’s talk about the study that brought these findings to light. Researchers from the University of Utah looked at nearly 22,000 people who had weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery.
They compared these folks to another group of people who were similar in age, sex, and body size but didn’t have the surgery. The study spanned almost 40 years, from 1982 to 2019.
Here’s the incredible part: Women who had weight loss surgery had a 41% lower chance of getting cancers linked to obesity. This includes several types of cancer like breast, ovarian, and colon cancer.
On top of that, women in the surgery group were 47% less likely to die from cancer than those who didn’t have surgery.
Unfortunately, the study didn’t find the same benefits for men, but this is a huge step forward in understanding how weight impacts health, specifically for women.
Why This Matters
So, why is this important? The rates of obesity have skyrocketed in the past few decades.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the obesity rate in the U.S. was around 42.4% in 2017-2018.
Obesity is linked to many health issues, like diabetes and heart disease, and yes, you guessed it—cancer.
Traditionally, losing weight has been tough for many people. Diets often fail, and keeping weight off in the long term is a struggle. This is where weight loss surgery comes in.
The surgery helps people lose a lot of weight and keep it off, and now it seems like it might have a bonus benefit: reducing the risk of cancer for women.
Experts are saying this study could be a real game-changer. Ted D. Adams, the lead researcher, said the study showed some very hopeful findings.
He pointed out that this could be particularly important for women who are both pre- and post-menopausal.
David Sarwer, another expert in the field but not a part of this study, added that this research should be strongly considered when people are thinking about the pros and cons of weight loss surgery.
What’s Next?
So, what happens now? Researchers agree that this is a big deal, but more studies are needed to understand exactly how weight loss surgery results in these benefits.
They’re also keen to figure out why the study showed such promising results for women but not for men.
In the meantime, if you or someone you know is considering weight loss surgery, this could be another factor to discuss with a healthcare provider.
It’s not just about losing weight anymore; it could also be about lowering the risk of cancer. Now, that’s something to think about.
If you care about weight loss, please read studies about the keto diet for weight loss: Pros and cons, and how to drink water to lose weight.
For more information about weight loss, please see recent studies about the best cheeses to improve diabetes and lose weight, and results showing gastric sleeve weight-loss surgery: a real story.
The study was published in Obesity.
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