Study researchers, who looked at data from nearly 300 patients, found that Black patients lost less total weight than Hispanic and White patients, two groups whose weight loss was essentially the same.
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Weight loss surgery has long been an effective treatment for the more than 40 percent of American adults struggling with obesity. Previous studies have shown that Black patients lose less weight overall following bariatric surgery compared to other racial groups, but less attention has been paid to the relationships between economic and social factors that may help explain differences in weight loss.
New research led by NYU Langone Grossman School of Medicine found that Black patients who had a sleeve gastrectomy, the most common weight loss surgery, between 2017 and 2020 lost 6.2 percent less weight than their White counterparts, and 4.9 percent less than Hispanic patients, after one year. However, further analyses found that a lot more complexity and interplay between non-biological factors than previously known appear to impact weight loss surgery incomes.
, this is the first study to investigate the relationship between a variety of economic and social factors that include income, sleep disturbances and stress, and weight loss differences among racial groups, the study authors said.
“Our findings identified variations in bariatric surgery outcomes so that we can address them and, when appropriate, offer patients individualized support that can help promote the best possible outcomes,” said , professor in the and at NYU Langone Health, and senior author of the study.
How the Study Was Conducted
Study participants who self-identified as either non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, or non-Hispanic White were recruited from NYU Langone’s Tisch Hospital and NYC Health + Hospital/Bellevue Hospital from June 2017 to March 2020. The researchers measured patients’ total weight loss, waist circumference, body composition, hormones, and blood glucose levels—following up with them at multiple intervals through in-clinic visits and questionnaires over two years.
Analyzing data from 297 patients, the investigators found that after surgery, non-Hispanic Black patients lost less total weight at nearly every follow-up interval compared to their Hispanic and White counterparts. Black patients also consistently reported higher sleep disturbance, perceived stress, and experiences of discrimination.
In contrast, no significant differences in total weight loss were observed between Hispanic and White patients. White patients also were found to have better long-term blood glucose control than both Black and Hispanic patients after follow-up.
“These varied associations highlight how different lived experiences and self-perceptions across racial and ethnic groups can influence surgical outcomes,” said , research assistant professor in the Department of Medicine and lead study author. “Additional research is needed to better understand how a broader range of socioeconomic factors may shape these outcomes.”
José O. Alemán, MD, PhD, an endocrinologist at NYU Langone and co-senior author of the study, said he and his colleagues will continue analyzing data from study participants to explore additional biological factors that may influence weight loss surgery outcomes, including changes in gene expression and the microbiome. “As a clinical community, we have to be honest that these differences exist, as well as reinforce the importance of adopting a holistic approach to care.”
In addition to Dr. Jay, Dr. Vanegas, and Dr. Alemán, collaborators from NYU Langone Health include ; Boyan Zhou, PhD; ; ; Evelyn Armijos; ; Christine J. Ren-Fielding, MD; Manish S. Parikh, MD; and .
The study was provided with institutional support from NYU Langone Health and obtained donor support through the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Foundation, an AHA Ignition Center Grant (17SFRN33590133), and the , which is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), part of the National Institutes of Health, through Grant Award Number UL1TR001445. Dr. Vanegas was in part supported by 2T32HL098129 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Dr. Alemán was in part supported by K08DK117064 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the Doris Duke Foundation. Dr. Jay was in part supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (K24 HL165161-01A1).
About NYU Langone Health
NYU Langone Health is a fully integrated health system that consistently achieves the best patient outcomes through a rigorous focus on quality that has resulted in some of the lowest mortality rates in the nation. Vizient Inc. has ranked NYU Langone No. 1 out of 115 comprehensive academic medical centers across the nation for three years in a row, and U.S. News & World Report recently placed nine of its clinical specialties among the top five in the nation. NYU Langone offers a comprehensive range of medical services with one high standard of care across 7 inpatient locations, its Perlmutter Â鶹ĘÓƵapp Center, and more than 320 outpatient locations in the New York area and Florida. With $14.2 billion in revenue this year, the system also includes two tuition-free medical schools, in Manhattan and on Long Island, and a vast research enterprise.
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