Exercise Improves Outcome of Bariatric Surgery

Patients who incorporated regular physical activity into their lives after bariatric surgery lost more weight and had better general health and vitality and less depression and anxiety than those who were inactive, a recent study shows.

"Bariatric surgery is quickly emerging as a standard treatment for severe obesity, although weight loss outcomes vary. These results suggest that patient behavior, particularly physical activity, may promote both enhanced weight loss and greater improvements in health-related quality of life following bariatric surgery," said lead author Dale Bond, of the Miriam Hospital's Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine.

The study was performed on about 190 patients who underwent gastric bypass operations at Virginia Commonwealth University. They filled out a questionnaire to provide an assessment of their physical activity levels both before surgery and one year afterward.

To categorize which patients were "active," the researchers decided on a minimum of 200 minutes of weekly physical activity (which included walking, as well as sports or exercise of a moderate or vigorous intensity). Participants also completed questionnaires that measured aspects of their health-related quality of life, such as physical or emotional problems, bodily pain, general health, energy levels, social functioning and mental health.

Researchers noted that exercise boosted progress toward all of the goals of bariatric surgery. Those patients who went from almost no weekly activity to 200 minutes or more lost 13.2 pounds more than their inactive counterparts.

They also lowered their body-mass index by two units more and reduced their overall weight by 8 percent more than those who didn't increase their exercise levels. The active group also experienced more improvements in general health, vitality, depression and anxiety symptoms compared with those who stayed inactive.