Gastric bypass surgery – a method of rejuvenation?
Researchers at Stanford University, working under the guidance of Dr. John M. Morton, have demonstrated for the first time that weight loss through surgery eliminates the effects of aging at the genetic level.
The authors observed the condition of 51 patients before and after gastric bypass surgery. 76.5% of the patients were female, the average age of the patients was 49 years, and the average body mass index was 44.3. On average, within a year after the procedure, the overweight of patients decreased by 71%, which was accompanied by a decrease in the level of C-reactive protein, which is a marker of inflammation, by more than 60%, and a fourfold decrease in the concentration of insulin in the blood on an empty stomach.
The data obtained are comparable with the results of earlier studies on the results of bariarthric surgery. However, scientists have gone further: they measured and compared the length of the participants' telomeres before and after surgery. Telomeres are protective end sections of chromosomes that shorten as the body ages and are a biomarker of aging at the cellular level.
There were no statistically significant changes in telomere length for the entire group of patients. However, after their division into subgroups with initially low and initially high levels of low-density lipoproteins ("bad" cholesterol) and C-reactive protein in the blood, it turned out that patients with initially high values of these markers had not only a significant decrease, but also a significant increase in telomere length.
The authors note that further research is needed to confirm the direct effect of increasing telomere length on health.
Leva N. et al.'s report "Does gastric bypass influence aging?" was presented at the 2013 Obsityweek, the largest international event dedicated to basic research, as well as clinical approaches in the field of prevention and treatment of obesity.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery:
New Study Shows Bariatric Surgery May Turn Back the Effects of Aging.
19.11.2013