This study did not include morbidly obese patients who had tried other forms of weight loss (e.g. dietary manipulation or medications). The ACS press release regarding the study explained that the decision to exclude this segment of morbidly obese individuals from the study was due to the fact that most clinical trials show that patients who choose non-surgical weight loss options lose only five to 10 pounds in the first year and gain all the weight back in the next two to three years. Studies have shown patients who undergo gastric bypass lose around 70 percent of their excess body weight in the first year after surgery. "They maintain 60 percent excess weight loss for up to five years and 50 percent excess weight loss at 10 years," Dr. Pope said.
It is important to note that this study was not a formal, randomized clinical trial. This means that in assessing longevity in groups of obese patients who are treated with gastric bypass or who serve as controls, findings are not entirely predictive. Dr. Pope cautioned: "The data from the study may be something obese patients can look at and realize that their life could be extended by this operation, but I don't think they can definitively bank on the data. This study needs to be confirmed by long-term prospective studies that follow patients for years and prove the benefit in life expectancy in real patients, not just in our statistical simulation," he explained.
