- Weight loss surgery is being used more frequently on adolescents, teens, and young adults who have obesity.
- However, researchers are reporting that these types of procedures may decrease bone density as well as weaken the bones of these young patients.
- Experts say more research needs to be done to determine if the surgery or the loss of weight is responsible for the decrease in bone strength.
Weight loss surgery for adolescents and teens with obesity who meet certain clinical criteria may impact their bone strength as their young bodies continue to develop, a study published today in the journal Radiology suggests.
Such surgeries, while once controversial, are
“Weight loss surgery is not considered lightly for any patient and is used as a last resort after multiple other interventions have been performed,” said Dr. Christina Johns, a pediatric urgent care doctor and a senior medical advisor at PM Pediatric Care who was not involved in the study.
“There are specific criteria that are used when evaluating these patients,” she told Medical News Today.
There are positive effects that weight loss surgery can have for teens and adolescents. These include a reduction in weight and comorbidities such as diabetes.
However, researchers said that other impacts of such procedures on children’s development are understudied and they sought to address those issues in their study.
The researchers studied a group of 54 adolescents, teens, and young adults with obesity between the ages of 13 and 24.
Of the participants, 25 underwent a standard weight loss procedure known as a “sleeve gastrectomy,” which reduces the size of the stomach.
The other 29 young participants were in a control…
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