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 Researchers examined results from pain surveys and timed walking
tests before and after more than 200 adolescents went through what’s
known as bariatric surgery, operations designed to speed weight loss
by reshaping the stomach or intestines.
“We know that youth with severe obesity often experience high levels
of pain while walking and have a difficult time with tasks that
normal weight persons might take for granted,” said lead study
author Justin Ryder, a pediatrics researcher at the University of
Minnesota Medical School.
“The most important finding is that not only does bariatric surgery
reduce body weight in these teens, but also there are important
improvements in walking speed, heart rate and reduced pain while
walking,” Ryder added by email.
Globally, 1.9 billion adults are overweight or obese, according to
the World Health Organization. Obesity increases the risk of heart
disease, diabetes, kidney complications, joint disorders and certain
cancers.
One in five U.S. teens are obese, according to a report last month
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most of the teens in the current study were girls. They were 17
years old on average typically had a body mass index of 50 or above,
putting them in the most severe category of obesity known as super
obese. A 17-year-old girl around 5 feet 5 inches tall weighing 300
pounds would be considered super obese, for example.
Participants did timed 400-meter (approximately one quarter mile)
walking tests before surgery and again six, 12 and 24 months
afterwards. Researchers also monitored heart rate before and after
the walks and surveyed the teens about pain levels.
Before surgery, the teens took an average of 376 seconds (about 6.3
minutes) to complete the walking test. Six months afterwards, this
dropped to 347 seconds (about 5.8 minutes).
Resting heart rate dropped from an average of 84 beats per minute (bpm)
to 74 bpm six months after surgery, the study also found. For teens,
a healthy resting heart rate can go up to about 85 bpm; anything
higher can mean an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.
The teens also experienced a drop in heart rate after the walking
test, which indicates an improvement in cardiovascular fitness.
Before surgery, the post-test average heart rate was 128 bpm; six
months later this dropped to 113 bpm.
Improvements in walking times and heart rate persisted at one and
two years after surgery, researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics.
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At each point after the surgery, participants also reported less
pain than they did before the operations.
One limitation of the study is that it didn’t include a control
group of teens who didn’t get surgery, making it hard to say whether
any outcomes were caused directly by bariatric procedures.
But the results are still encouraging because obesity taxes the
joints and may also impair body mechanics and restrict range of
motion, said Gabriel Shaibi, a researcher at Arizona State
University in Tempe who wasn’t involved in the study.
“Weight-loss may reduce the overall load that is placed on those
joints as well as improve movement patterns and range of motion,”
Shaibi said by email.
Shedding excess pounds can also have lasting health benefits for
teens, said Dr. Jeffrey Schwimmer, a pediatrics researcher at the
University of California, San Diego who wasn’t involved in the
study.
“The current study convincingly demonstrated improvements that are
likely to be clinically meaningful,” Schwimmer said by email. “The
ability to walk faster, with better cardiovascular tolerance, and
without pain are all important to the long-term continuation of
routine exercise that is needed to prevent the regain of lost weight
and to support health and wellbeing,”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2a5HC4H JAMA Pediatrics, online July 18, 2016.
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