Research

Energy balance

Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for individuals with BMI ≥ 40 or 35–40 kg/m² with significant comorbidity, offering greater weight loss and risk factor improvement than diet or drugs alone.

If you have a BMI over 40 (or 35-40 with serious health issues) and have tried diet and exercise without lasting success, bariatric surgery is a medically recognized option. It provides the most significant weight loss and improvement in conditions like diabetes and hypertension. However, it requires long-term commitment to follow-up and nutritional management.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Bariatric surgery offers an alternative treatment for those with BMI ≥ 40 or 35–40 kg/m2 with other significant co-morbidity.
Thang S. Han et al. · JRSM Cardiovascular Disease · 2016

Why this rating

Based on review of guidelines and observed outcomes, though the paper notes limitations in long-term data for some procedures.

Source

A clinical perspective of obesity, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease

Thang S. Han et al. · JRSM Cardiovascular Disease · 2016

DOI 10.1177/2048004016633371

narrative_reviewCited 511×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →