According to the findings of a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, morbidly obese teenagers who undergo bariatric surgery show significant improvements in cardiac health and geometry after losing weight. Adolescent patients who opted for weight loss surgery also showed signs of improved left ventrical mass and diastolic function that are viewed as a reflection of a decrease in cardiac functions, following substantial weight loss.

This reversal in cardiac abnormalities following weight loss surgery also appears to be more likely in teenagers than in adults. These findings may help support the notion, championed by a growing number of healthcare professionals, that popular weight loss procedures such as laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery should be performed on young adults suffering from morbid obesity at an earlier age to eliminate the possibility of future medical complications as they grow older.

Thirty eight patients, ages 13 to 19 years old with an average BMI (body mass index) of  60, had laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery performed. Within the following year, BMI had fallen to an average of 40; although the patients were still over their ideal body weight, the findings show their heart rate was reduced by 18 beats-per-minute, and systolic blood pressure by 12 mm Hg, among other improvements. This promising evidence of “myocardial remodeling” has not been seen in adults following similar weight loss procedures. However, long-term research is required to see if these improvements continue and translate into sustainable cardiovascular health through adulthood.