Lap band surgery improves health of obese teens

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A type of minimally invasive weight-loss surgery called gastric banding not only helps morbidly obese teenagers lose a substantial amount of weight, but also leads to healthy changes in blood sugar and blood fats, a small study shows.

Teenagers who are extremely obese are at risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome - a cluster of heart disease risk factors that includes high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar and abnormal cholesterol levels.

Previous studies have shown that gastric banding, or "lap band" surgery, performed using laparoscopic, or key-hole techniques, is a safe and effective way for morbidly obese teens to lose weight.

"Our goal with the lap band in this study was to try to reduce the morbid conditions that we see associated with obesity," explained Dr. Ilene Fennoy, professor of pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

In lap band surgery, surgeons place a silicone band around the upper part of the stomach to create a small pouch that substantially limits the amount of food a person can eat at a time. The band is attached to a port placed just below the skin, which allows doctors to tighten or loosen the band by inflating or deflating a saline-filled balloon that lies inside the band.

At the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco this week, Fennoy reported on 14 morbidly obese 14- to 17-year-olds (six boys and eight girls) who had lap band surgery.

Six months after the surgery, the teenagers had lost an average of 20 pounds, "which is quite a lot for patients in this condition," Fennoy noted, adding that the teens are continuing to lose weight.

The patients' average waist size also shrank, from roughly 145 centimeters (57 inches) to 132 centimeters (52 inches).

Along with the weight loss came a reduction in blood sugar and harmful triglycerides, and an increase in "good" HDL cholesterol. The teens also showed improved liver function and a reduction in levels of CRP, an inflammatory protein linked to heart disease.