Could Bariatric Surgery Reduce the Effects of Aging?

A recent study suggests that bariatric surgery could actually reverse the effects of aging.

According to researchers from Stanford University, they discovered that telomeres or chromosome caps that are generally known to shorten in length as people grow older, may actually lengthen for those who undergo gastric bypass surgery.

"If your telomeres get longer, you're likely to reverse the effects of aging," Dr. John Morton, Stanford's chief of bariatric surgery and president-elect of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric surgery said, via The Daily Mail.

He and colleagues noticed that patients who suffered from various illnesses, including heart disease and other inflammatory health issues, saw significant improvements when weight loss was experienced with help of the procedure.

"This is the first study to look at surgical weight loss and telomeres. We know that surgery has a big effect when it comes to weight, but this is literally at the genetic level. It was nice to see confirmation at least that it would improve."

Researchers examined a sample that consisted mostly of obese women patients with a body mas index of almost 44.3 and an average age of 49 years. (The normal Body Mass Index (BMI) is 18-25)  

Findings showed that patients who had undergone the procedure were able to lose 71 percent of their extra weight. The medical procedure also showed an almost 60 percent drop in inflammation.

More information regarding the study will be presented during an event organized by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.