Study: Weight-loss programs prior to bariatric surgery not helpful

Insurer-mandated medical management programs for patients seeking bariatric surgery "demonstrate no clinical benefit," reported Dr. Timothy Kuwada of Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C., at an American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery meeting, reports MedPage Today. Kuwada's study of more than 300 patients demonstrated that preoperative medical management programs didn't improve outcomes of bariatric surgery. Patients who had surgery without undergoing a management program first actually lost more weight than patients who participated. "The most significant thing [the mandated programs] seemingly do is unnecessarily delay surgery, which could be potentially harmful to patients," he said. Article