Weight Loss Surgery Linked to Increased Substance Abuse Risk

A 24-year follow-up study of over 4,000 patients with obesity who underwent weight loss surgery has found that they were 2.5 times more likely to develop a non-alcohol substance use disorder compared to those who received standard obesity care. The study, conducted in Sweden, compared the outcomes of patients who underwent gastric bypass, vertical banded gastroplasty, or gastric banding surgeries with a control group. The researchers suggest that healthcare professionals should consider the risk of substance use disorder in the care of patients who have undergone weight loss surgery. However, limitations in the study's utility were acknowledged, including the fact that the surgeries were performed between 1987 and 2001 and that the surgery cohort had higher risk factors than the control group.