Survey: Should bariatric surgery become first-line obesity therapy?

The National Institutes of Health recommends bariatric surgery only for individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater (35 for patients with coexisting illnesses) who have failed other treatments.

Now an American study has shown that gastric bypass reduced all-cause mortality by 40% and Swedish researchers found bariatric surgery of any type reduced morality 29%. (See Missing Link Found: Bariatric Surgery Reduces Mortality)