Weight loss surgeries on the rise among kids and teens, study finds: ‘Altering the anatomy’

A rising variety of kids and teenagers are turning to weight loss surgical procedure amid rising charges of pediatric weight problems, based on a brand new study printed in JAMA Pediatrics.

Between 2020 and 2021, there was a virtually 19% improve in weight loss surgeries among U.S. youths aged 10 to 19 years, as found by researchers from the University of Texas, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The researchers had been significantly all in favour of these developments after the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) launched a press release in late 2019 endorsing elevated entry to bariatric surgical procedure for teenagers, mentioned lead study writer Sarah Messiah, PhD, professor and pediatric weight problems researcher at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.

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The study drew on information from throughout six years from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, which accredits bariatric surgical procedure facilities in the U.S. and Canada.

“Historically, research shows pediatricians have been hesitant to refer their patients with severe obesity to bariatric surgery,” Messiah advised Fox News Digital in an e mail. 

“Our findings show a steady increase in usage in the two years after the release of this AAP statement.”

The improve was significantly excessive for racial and ethnic minority teams. That contains Hispanic/Latino, non-Hispanic Black/African American and others, presumably as a result of they’re “disproportionately impacted by cardiometabolic disease risk factors versus non-Hispanic Whites,” Messiah mentioned.

These danger components embody elevated blood stress, lipids, insulin, glucose and waist circumference — all of that are danger components for kind 2 diabetes and heart problems in addition to some sorts of most cancers, she added.

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The new study did have some limitations, Messiah mentioned.

“We are always limited to the data we are analyzing in that it does not include the entire universe of all adolescents who have ever completed bariatric surgery in the U.S. during the analytical time period,” she mentioned. 

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“However, this dataset does include all adolescent patients who completed their surgery at a U.S. accredited center, which is the gold standard,” the physician additionally mentioned.

AAP’s weight loss surgical procedure suggestions

In January 2023, the AAP launched its new pediatric weight problems remedy pointers, formally endorsing bariatric surgical procedure and weight loss prescriptions for the first time.

“Teens age 13 and older with severe obesity (BMI ≥120% of the 95th percentile for age and sex) should be evaluated for metabolic and bariatric surgery,” the pointers acknowledged.

In January 2023, the AAP launched new pediatric weight problems remedy pointers, formally endorsing bariatric surgical procedure and weight loss prescriptions. (iStock)

There are 4 essential sorts of bariatric surgical procedure, based on the Cleveland Clinic: gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, gastric band and duodenal change.

There was lots of resistance to the AAP’s advice, Messiah identified.

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“However, our analysis would suggest that families are following their own path in terms of deciding to move forward with surgery for their adolescent,” she mentioned. 

“It will be important that we support these families moving forward to ensure the best health outcomes for their adolescents as they age into adulthood.”

Guidelines differ throughout hospitals

Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, presents a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. 

Billed as a minimally invasive process, it entails eradicating a big portion of the abdomen to suppress starvation, based on its web site.

“People see it as ‘the easy way out,’ but it’s honestly the only way out for 95% of people who are morbidly obese.”

The hospital recommends exploring weight loss surgical procedure for kids who’re a minimum of 5 years previous, have a BMI of a minimum of 40 (or above 35 with different medical circumstances) and have had a minimum of six months of “supervised medical weight loss therapy.”

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio additionally has a bariatric surgical procedure program, however its web site states that it’s for “severely obese adolescents who haven’t had success with behavioral and nutritional approaches to weight loss.”

There are 4 essential sorts of bariatric surgical procedure, based on the Cleveland Clinic: gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, gastric band and duodenal change. (iStock)

Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, presents two sorts of bariatric surgical procedure: gastric bypass and gastric sleeve. 

The web site doesn’t specify a minimal age requirement, however sufferers should be a minimum of 100 kilos over their “ideal body weight.”

Opinions, experiences differ

Patients and physicians have gone on-line to share experiences and opinions on pediatric weight loss surgical procedure. 

These run the gamut from success tales to cautionary tales.

One bariatric surgeon on Reddit voiced concern about misconceptions of the process.

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“People see it as ‘the easy way out,’ but it’s honestly the only way out for 95% of people who are morbidly obese,” the physician wrote. 

“Your metabolic rate will slow down significantly if you try to diet and lose weight, and your progress will slow down — and weight regain is almost inevitable. Bariatric surgery doesn’t do that, and something like the gastric bypass hardwires in a malabsorptive component that can’t be overridden.”

“All the medical options need to be exhausted before they consider surgery, because surgery is irreversible.”

“Do I think we should do bariatric surgery in teenagers? I won’t be doing it any time soon, but I think that in a controlled setting with IRB approval, it is appropriate,” the surgeon continued, referring to Institutional Review Boards. 

“We have an entire demographic of teenagers with type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea and serious joint pains because of their weight,” the surgeon additionally wrote. “It would be ignorant to overlook an obvious treatment for those conditions.”

A triple board-certified weight loss doctor warned of the potential risks of surgeries in kids and teenagers, given their “irreversible nature.” (iStock)

Another poster, nevertheless, shared that her buddy opted for the bypass process at 16 years previous and didn’t have a great expertise.

“She’s now 26 and has gained all the weight back and more,” she wrote. 

“Her brain wasn’t done developing and she wasn’t mature enough to understand the consequences of such major surgery and to stick to the guidelines and deal with her disordered eating.”

“With bariatric surgery, you’re altering the anatomy of the GI tract.”

Meanwhile, a surgical procedure intern in a personal hospital posted that the facility had carried out an “astonishingly high number of bariatric cases” and recalled seeing many issues — even when very expert surgeons did the procedures.

Weight loss physician urges warning

Dr. Sue Decotiis, a triple board-certified weight loss doctor in New York City, warned of the potential risks of those surgeries in kids and teenagers, given their “irreversible nature.”

She advised Fox News Digital, “With bariatric surgery, you’re altering the anatomy of the GI tract, and that anatomy — if it’s a bypass — can never be returned [to its original state].”

She added, “That means the individual is never going to be able to eat regular meals because the anatomy of the stomach has changed.”

Before a baby or teen goes the surgical procedure route, one weight-loss doctor recommends first making dietary modifications, equivalent to chopping out soda and sugary meals — and slowly introducing extra nutritious fare. (iStock)

Another potential downside is that after the anatomy of the abdomen is altered, Decotiis mentioned, the individual received’t be capable to eat as a lot high-nutrition and high-fiber meals as a result of they’ll really feel full instantly.

“This can make them gravitate toward processed foods because those are a lot easier to get down,” she mentioned. 

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Before going the surgical procedure route for a kid or teen, Decotiis recommends first making dietary modifications, equivalent to chopping out sodas and sugary meals and slowly introducing extra nutritious fare.

And in the case of teenagers with extreme weight problems, the physician identified that if they begin with a few of the newer weight loss medicines which can be obtainable, surgical procedure won’t be essential.

“All the medical options need to be exhausted before they consider surgery, because surgery is irreversible,” Decotiis mentioned.

The solely exception, she mentioned, is that if the baby or teen is “morbidly obese” (now generally known as Class III weight problems, which is when an individual has a BMI of 40 or increased, or 35 or increased together with obesity-related well being circumstances, per the Cleveland Clinic). 

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“Otherwise, it’s not worth it because they will likely gain the weight back — and since their anatomy has been disturbed, getting proper nutrients will be difficult in the future.”