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Obesity and its associated risk factors raise the likelihood for cardiovascular disease, but whether weight loss induced by bariatric surgery lowers this risk is unknown. Swedish investigators used data from a prospective but nonrandomized trial to assess adverse cardiovascular outcomes (fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke) in 2010 obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery and in 2037 obese patients who received usual care.
Patients (age range, 37–60) had a mean body-mass index (BMI) of about 41 kg/m2 at recruitment. Surgery patients underwent gastric bypass (13%), gastric banding (19%), or vertical banded gastroplasty (68%). During median follow-up of 15 years, the surgery group –– compared with the control group –– had …