16% of Patients Undergoing Obesity Surgical Therapy are not Overweight, A Study Reveals

A study conducted at the University of Bahrain has revealed that 16.4% of patients who undergo obesity surgical therapy were not overweight. Only 47.5% were severely obese and 36.1% were slightly overweight. The findings of the research also pointed out out that the type and timing of surgery could affect the body mass index (BMI) in patients.

The study, conducted by Ms. Nawal Abdullah Hassan, as part of her master’s thesis in nutrition and diet at the College of Science, was entitled “Obesity Surgery in Bahrain: Weight Loss Considerations, Adherence to Diet and Associated Nutritional Implications.”

Her study revealed that the amount of weight loss could not be attributed to the specific methods of surgery conducted. She investigated surgery patients at Salmaniya Medical Complex and King Hamad University Hospital. 50% of the patients in the study suffer from Iron deficiency, 40% suffer from vitamin D deficiency, 59.5% suffer from hair loss, 39.3% suffer from abdominal distention, 34.3% suffer from dry skin, 33.2% suffer from acid reflux (GERD), 27.3% suffer from constipation, 26.9% suffer from loss of appetite and 26.7% suffer from anemia.

The study also showed that patients’ adherence to dietary recommendations after surgery was average to high. 59.1% did not follow-up with nutritionists, believing that it was not important, whereas 49.6% of patients did.

The thesis also recommended evaluating the implications of undergoing Sleeve gastrectomy, as one of the most popular surgical weight-loss procedures nowadays, its risk factors, the long-term side effects and effectiveness.