Weight-loss surgery's effect on your family
Posted Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Bariatric surgery can have a much bigger impact than just an effect on the patient. A recent study by endocrinologists shows that the healthy-weight benefits can be passed onto to the family, not through influence, but through the womb.
Researchers studied mothers who had undergone weight-loss surgery between pregnancies, examining how it affected the children born both before and after the operation. They found that children born after weight-loss surgery were three times less likely to become obese, even having a lower birth weight than their pre-surgery siblings.
The SUNY doctors behind the study believe this is evidence that the intrauterine environment, not necessarily genes, may be what determines if a child is destined to be overweight.
"For those women interested in both surgical treatment and having children, we believe surgery should come first," explains John Kral, MD, PhD. "Preventing obesity and treating it effectively in young women could prevent further transmission to future generations."
Tags: bariatric surgery, family, gastric bypass, obesity, pregnancy, research, study, weight loss
Related: What you weigh while pregnant can impact what your daughter will weigh later