Weight Loss Surgery Gives Bigger Heart Benefits to Women

Women who underwent weight-loss surgery were at lower risk of heart disease than men who had same procedure, according to a new study.

Nearly 2,000 patients were evaluated both a decade and a year post-surgery. Researchers found that all patients had reduced risk of heart disease, but women in particular had a 41 percent reduced risk, whereas men had a 35.6 percent less risk.

The study was presented at the 2016 ObesityWeek, a yearly conference hosted by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

“This study shows there is a gender disparity in cardiac outcomes for patients undergoing bariatric surgery,” said study lead author Dr. John Morton, director of bariatric surgery at Stanford Health Care. “The findings suggest that women may have an enhanced mechanism of response to bariatric surgery, which leads to greater normalization of biochemical cardiac risk factors.”

The leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women is heart disease, so further research on the gender disparity could be quite useful.

“Obesity is a major and modifiable risk factor for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women,” said Bariatric Surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic Dr. Stacy Brethauer, who was not involved in the study. “This study suggests, however, that men and women may respond differently to bariatric surgery when it comes to heart health despite comparable weight loss.”

The findings presented at the 2016 ObesityWeek conference are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

The disparity in gender and obesity is nothing new. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the number of obese women in the U.S. outweighs men. There was a 40 percent obesity prevalence for women, whereas 35 percent of men were considered obese. There is still no clear reason why women are taking the lead in obesity in the U.S.