Gastric surgery cuts heart attack risk by half in obese people

Researchers have said that obese people who have stomach surgery to help them lose weight will halve their risk of heart attack.

The procedures, known as bariatric surgery, involve techniques such as gastric banding.

The research reviewed data from 14 studies involving more than 29,000 patients who underwent bariatric surgery. It reveals that death rates were reduced by 40 per cent, and that heart attacks in particular were reduced by half - compared to obese people who did not have surgery.

Senior author Dr Yoon Loke from UEA's Norwich Medical School said that these findings suggest that surgery should be seriously considered in obese patients who have a high risk of heart disease. This is the right time for a large, high-quality trial of bariatric surgery in the NHS to confirm the potential benefits.

The mean age of participants was 48 years old, and 30 per cent of participants were male. The original studies were carried out the North America, Europe and Australia, and patients were followed-up from two years to 14 years.

The research has been published in the International Journal of Cardiology.