Weight Loss Surgery and Longevity

Weight loss surgery can help you shed stubborn pounds, improve your health, and even add years to your life — here’s how.

What’s the secret to a long, healthy life? Researchers have found that people who live into their hundreds share common characteristics like reading regularly, belonging to a faith-based community, and not eating after sunset. Studies also show that maintaining a healthy weight is critical to longevity, but that can be very hard to do if you struggle with obesity.

Learn more about the connection between obesity and mortality and how bariatric surgery can help you live a long and happy life.

Obesity and Mortality

All-cause mortality is an epidemiological term referring to death from any cause, which is a very broad category. Even though death can be random, numerous longitudinal studies have shown that certain causes of death are linked to particular behaviors or lifestyles.

Obesity, for example, is a risk factor it makes an individual more susceptible to various conditions that can lead to premature death. In fact, 20 long term studies on obesity in the PLOS Medicine journal found that people who are obese lose at least six and a half years off of their lives on average. Why?

Obesity is comorbid with numerous other serious health conditions like heart disease, colon cancer, and diabetes. This means that obese people are statistically more likely to have these conditions and die from them than people who are at a healthy weight. According to the World Health Organization, obesity is the fifth leading risk for global death, contributing to the deaths of at least 2.8 million adults each year.

How Weight Loss Surgery Can Increase Longevity

In addition to helping you lose weight and keep it off for good, bariatric surgery resolves many harmful comorbidities and can lengthen your life. According to a 2015 study in the Current Atherosclerosis Reports, obese people who had bariatric surgery were able to reduce their all-cause mortality risk factors by a staggering 51 percent.

Bariatric surgery can help you live longer and improve your quality of life by:

  • Reducing your risk of serious health complications — Bariatric surgery is the best way to lose a significant amount of weight, resolve weight-related conditions like heart disease and diabetes, and improve your overall health.
  • Increasing your ability to exercise — Harvard University researchers have found that just 15 minutes of exercise a day can add three years to your lifespan. Cardio and weight training keep your body strong, while flexibility training keeps you limber and reduces your risk of injury as you age. Bariatric surgery eases painful pressure on your joints so it’s easier to move more fully and stay active.
  • Improving emotional and mental health — If you’re unhappy with your weight or suffering from poor health because of it, you might feel depressed and anxious. Studies have shown that people with major mental illnesses like depression die 14 to 32 years earlier than others. Bariatric surgery lessens the severity of depression symptoms, boosts self-esteem, and helps you feel more positive, which can actually extend your life.

 

Feel Better, Live Longer

To live long and live well, you must do everything you can to reduce your risk factors for serious health complications. This includes maintaining a healthy weight.

If you struggle with obesity and diet and exercise have not worked for you in the past, contact the bariatric surgery experts at Long Island Laparoscopic Doctors today. Our dedicated team will help you choose the weight loss surgery option that’s right for you.