Opting for weight-loss surgery at lower BMIs may be best for patients' health
A large new study shows that only one in three patients who have the operation succeed in getting their body-mass index below 30, the cutoff for obesity, in the first year. But the odds of achieving this goal were much higher for those who had their weight-loss operation while they were still below the "morbid obesity" BMI level of 40. On the other end of the spectrum, less than 9 percent of those who went into surgery with a BMI above 50 got down to 30 or below in the first year. Getting down to a BMI under 30 also brought patients much better odds of escaping weight-related health risks. Those who hit this level were much more likely to report that they'd stopped taking medication to control high blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, and achieved remission of an obesity-linked breathing condition called sleep apnea. In all, 92 percent of those who hit a BMI under 30 in the first year said they were highly satisfied with their decision to have surgery, co...