Friday, January 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Weight loss surgery can be life-changing for obese teens, but it’s not always the best option.
A new study finds that weight loss surgery for 13- to 19-year-olds has troubling drawbacks. They are at higher risk for alcohol use disorders. And that risk remains elevated for up to eight years after surgery.
“We need to be honest about both the risks and benefits of these procedures,” said study co-author Thomas Inge, Ph.D., director of adolescent bariatric surgery at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. said.
According to the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons (ASMBS), approximately 200,000 weight loss (or “bariatric”) surgeries were performed in the United States in 2020. These surgeries have benefited many teens, but some develop heart problems or do not get enough nutrition after the surgery.
Inge and other researchers now report that teens who undergo weight-loss surgery are also more likely to develop alcohol use disorders. This is based on the results of following 217 of her teenagers during her eight years and comparing their alcohol intake before and after surgery.
The study found eight times the odds of risky drinking, a pattern of alcohol use with risk of adverse consequences. Five times more likely to show symptoms of alcohol-related harm.
They were also 13 times more likely to have alcohol-related legal, family, employment or financial problems.
Inge called the findings troubling, but cautioned against concluding that weight-loss surgery directly leads to teenage alcohol abuse.
“Adolescence already has many challenges associated with it, including all the typical vices that sometimes occur at this developmental stage, including alcohol experimentation,” he said. The surgery is also experimenting with alcohol use, he noted, Inge.
However, he added that some dynamics were particularly problematic and a concern for these teens.
Because these surgeries remove part of the intestine, the alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream faster, leading to more rapid damage. Also, for teens who are suddenly driven to active socializing after leading a more isolated life prior to surgery, the situation can overwhelm their coping skills.
Dr. Teresa LaMasters, President of ASMBS, expressed a similar view.
“Adolescence is a unique time in life because most people experience alcohol for the first time during young adulthood in the general population,” she said.
“Increased susceptibility to the effects of alcohol, timing of alcohol testing in general, and heightened confidence in social interactions combine to increase the risk of alcohol use disorders,” Lamasters said.
These rapid changes in living environment can be challenging in conjunction with other developmental challenges of adolescence.
“We feel that alcohol use can have negative consequences because these young people can be overwhelmed by all of these dynamics,” Inge said.
He also noted that alcohol use disorders are more prevalent in adults undergoing bariatric surgery than in the general population, although they are less relevant than in adolescents. Inge says adults aren’t dealing with the same kinds of stress as his teens and drink more than younger people to begin with.
“Adults are already going through these adaptations, so they tend to have less psychosocial struggles,” Inge said.
According to LaMasters, bariatric surgeons share concerns about alcohol use disorders in both adolescent and adult patients.
“We know that after metabolic bariatric surgery associated with changes in anatomy, there are changes in the way the body responds to alcohol,” she explained.
Inge said he was concerned that the findings of the study might shy away from weight-loss surgery, even when families are in the teenager’s best interest.
“The use of this information to discourage this option is a concern to me, as these procedures usually have very positive outcomes for patients overall,” he said.
He said more research is needed to understand the link between bariatric surgery and alcohol use disorders. It is important to investigate the role of addiction transference.
“We need more information about this concept to make good medical decisions,” Inge said.
While the findings are significant, LaMasters said the lack of a similar control group was problematic, as was the age of the participants.
“Most of these people had bariatric surgery before the legal drinking age, and alcohol use was low preoperatively and increased with age when alcohol use was most common”.17 to 25 It’s a big change that you can expect as you get older. ”
Still, LaMasters and Inge agree, research highlights specific vulnerabilities in teens, and doctors can use this knowledge to boost positive outcomes for bariatric surgery patients. says it is important to involve mental health professionals in this process.
The findings were recently published online. surgical record.
For more information
Learn more about bariatric surgery at the Mayo Clinic.
Sources: Thomas Inge, MD, Director of Adolescent Bariatric Surgery, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Professor, Department of Surgery and Pediatrics, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago; Teresa LaMasters, MD, President of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons. surgical recordNovember 17, 2022, Online
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