Metabolic risk factors in formerly obese women-effects of a pronounced weight loss by gastric band operation compared with weight loss by diet alone
Some interesting observations here. First, while no one should be surprised, I am NOT a fan of any type of gastric bypass. Mother Nature put it there for a reason. I’m sure that, when all the long term data are in, we will see much greater risks of chronic diseases in these patients due to malabsorption of any number of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.
That being said, the patients undergoing surgery lost more weight than those choosing the diet route, however, their insulin sensitivity was better than their dietary counterparts prior to surgery–suggesting that they may not have been as metabolically “bad off” as the diet group.
What I find VERY interesting was that, after surgery, this group of patients had elevated levels of TNF-apha, a marker of inflammation that begins a cascade of further inflammation in the body. Not a good sign, at all. Even more interestingly, this data were mentioned in the conclusion but no importance was given to this finding.