Bariatric surgery for severe obesity is associated with long-term weight loss and decreased overall mortality.

Compared with usual care, bariatric surgery was associated with reduced number of cardiovascular deaths and lower incidence of cardiovascular events in obese adults.

In this very long-term follow-up observational study of obese patients with type 2 diabetes, bariatric surgery was associated with more frequent diabetes remission and fewer complications than usual care. These findings require confirmation in randomized trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01479452.

The attenuated appetite after gastric bypass is associated with elevated PYY and GLP-1 concentrations, and appetite returns when the release of gut hormones is inhibited. The results suggest a role for gut hormones in the mechanism of weight loss after gastric bypass and may have implications for the treatment of obesity.

Bariatric surgery appears to be markedly more efficient than usual care in the prevention of type 2 diabetes in obese persons. (Funded by the Swedish Research Council and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01479452.).