Research
Hormonal
Bariatric surgery, particularly Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and vertical sleeve gastrectomy, is associated with an increased risk of substance misuse disorders, suicide, and nutritional deficiencies.
Patients must be aware that bariatric surgery increases the risk of alcohol misuse, suicide, and nutritional deficiencies. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and vertical sleeve gastrectomy alter alcohol absorption, increasing misuse risk. Lifelong supplementation and monitoring for mental health and nutritional status are essential.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Emerging data from observational studies suggest that some bariatric procedures introduce a greater long term risk of substance misuse disorders, suicide, and nutritional deficiencies.
Why this rating
Based on observational studies; causality for psychosocial outcomes is less clear than for weight loss.
Source
Bariatric surgery for obesity and metabolic conditions in adults
David Arterburn et al. · BMJ · 2014
DOI 10.1136/bmj.g3961
narrative_reviewCited 390×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Bariatric surgery (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, vertical sleeve gastrectomy, biliopancreatic diversion) induces sustained weight loss and high remission rates for type 2 diabetes compared to non-surgical management.Good
- Bariatric surgery reduces long-term all-cause mortality and the incidence of type 2 diabetes in obese adults.Good
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