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At the heart of the benefits of bariatric surgery

Nature Medicine volume 18, pages 358–359 (2012)Cite this article

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David E Cummings

Bariatric operations throughout the world are currently used primarily according to 20-year-old US National Institutes of Health guidelines, which limit surgery to individuals with a BMI >40 kg m−2 or >35 kg m−2 with obesity-related complications. These recommendations were derived from expert opinion, without data regarding risk/benefit ratios of surgical versus medical and/or behavioral interventions. Such surgery usage is now validated by the SOS study, in which 2,010 severely obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery were prospectively compared with 2,037 matched patients receiving standard medical care over the same period, with 99% follow-up for up to 20 years1.

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At the heart of the benefits of bariatric surgery. Nat Med 18, 358–359 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0312-358

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