Sleeve Gastrectomy Has Harmful Impact on Bones of Teens, Young Adults

THURSDAY, June 15, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Adolescents and young adults undergoing sleeve gastrectomy (SG) have reductions in bone strength and increases in bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT), according to a study published online June 13 in Radiology.

Florian A. Huber, M.D., from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues examined the long-term effects of SG on vertebral bone strength, density, and BMAT in adolescents and young adults with obesity. A total of 25 participants underwent SG and 29 underwent dietary and exercise counseling without surgery at an academic medical center from 2015 to 2020 in a two-year prospective longitudinal study.

The researchers found that after 24 months, body mass index (BMI) decreased by a mean of 11.9 ±5.21 kg/m² in the SG group and increased by 1.49 ± 3.10 kg/m² in the control group. Compared with control subjects, those in the SG group had a decrease in mean bone strength of the lumbar spine (mean decrease, −728 ± 691 N versus −7.24 ±775 N). After SG, there was an increase observed in BMAT of the lumbar spine (mean lipid-to-water ratio increase, 0.10 ± 0.13). Positive correlations were seen for changes in vertebral density and strength with changes in BMI and body composition, while inverse correlations were seen with vertebral BMAT.

"We found that bone strength was lower two years after weight-loss surgery, while bone marrow fat, a marker of bone weakening, was increased, suggesting that weight-loss surgery has negative effects on bone health," a coauthor said in a statement.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries.

Abstract/Full Text

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