Skip to main content

Bariatric Surgery Tied to Slower Cognitive Decline in People With Obesity

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 17, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 17, 2024 -- Bariatric surgery may slow cognitive decline for people with obesity, according to a study published online Dec. 5 in the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.

Evan L. Reynolds, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues examined the effect of surgical weight loss on cognition in individuals with class II/III obesity. The analysis included 113 participants who completed baseline assessments and 87 who completed two-year follow-up assessments.

The researchers found that the primary outcome, the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery (NIHTB-CB) composite score, was stable following bariatric surgery (−0.4). For secondary outcomes following surgery, the NIHTB-CB dimensional card sorting test (executive function assessment), improved (+6.5), while the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) delayed recall test (memory assessment) declined (−0.24). There was no association between improvements in metabolic risk factors and diabetes complications with improvements in the NIHTB-CB composite score. At follow-up, the other four NIHTB-CB subtests and Rey AVLT assessments of auditory learning and recognition were unchanged.

"Since individuals with obesity experience more rapid cognitive decline than those without, stable cognition two years after bariatric surgery may be considered a success against historical trends, yet future controlled trials are needed to test this," Reynolds said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted January 2024

Read this next

Bariatric Surgery Tied to Higher Short-Term Risk for Venous Thromboembolism

THURSDAY, May 9, 2024 -- In the short term, bariatric surgery is associated with a greater risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), but in the long-term, it is associated with lower...

MRE-Liver Stiffness Measure Better for Varices in NAFLD Cirrhosis

WEDNESDAY, May 8, 2024 -- For patients with obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) compensated cirrhosis (CC), liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by magnetic...

Excess Gestational Weight Gain Common in Military Health Beneficiaries

TUESDAY, May 7, 2024 -- Military health beneficiaries, especially active-duty personnel, more often have excessive gestational weight gain (GWG), according to a study published in...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.