In a recent study published in the Archives of Surgery, researchers announced that when compared to the gastric Lap-Band device, gastric bypass surgery appears to be a better option. While earlier studies indicated that the lap-bands were a safer alternative to the surgery, this recent study shows a percentage of weight loss almost double for the surgical patients.
The study analyzed about 200 morbidly obese patients split into two groups. Patients were paired with their counterparts in each group based on age, race, and sex. The patients who underwent the surgery lost about 64 percent of their weight, in contrast to a 36 percent weight loss for users of the lap-band device.
Dr. Guilherme Campos, of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine in Madison, call the results his study, “A dramatic difference.” In the end the study concluded that the gastric bypass option provides better weight loss, better resolution of diabetes and an improvement in quality of life compared to the Lap-Band.