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Bariatric surgery is currently the most effective treatment for obesity in terms of mortality reduction and comorbidity resolution, but it is restricted to higher BMI classes and not suitable for all patients.
Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for obesity, significantly reducing mortality and type 2 diabetes risk, but it is generally reserved for patients with Class II or III obesity (BMI ≥ 35 or ≥ 40) and is not suitable for everyone due to surgical risks and access issues.
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Currently, the most effective treatment for obesity is bariatric surgery; in prospective studies, individuals who underwent bariatric surgery had reduced mortality, myocardial infarction, and T2DM incidence. However, bariatric surgery is restricted to class II or III obesity, and even in this population, it is not suitable or acceptable for all patients.
Why this rating
Based on prospective studies and large cohort data (SOS study).
Source
Pharmacotherapy for obesity: moving towards efficacy improvement
Walmir Coutinho et al. · Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome · 2024
DOI 10.1186/s13098-023-01233-4
narrative_reviewCited 45×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- Achieving a total body weight loss of 10-15% (or >10-15 kg) through Total Diet Replacement (TDR) induces remission of Type 2 Diabetes in individuals with short-duration disease.Strong
- Bariatric surgery is superior to medical management alone for inducing significant long-term weight loss, remission of type 2 diabetes, and reduction in mortality for patients with BMI ≥ 40 or ≥ 35 with comorbidities.Strong
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