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Bariatric Surgery Tied to Slower Cognitive Decline in People With Obesity

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 17, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 17, 2024 -- Bariatric surgery may slow cognitive decline for people with obesity, according to a study published online Dec. 5 in the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.

Evan L. Reynolds, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues examined the effect of surgical weight loss on cognition in individuals with class II/III obesity. The analysis included 113 participants who completed baseline assessments and 87 who completed two-year follow-up assessments.

The researchers found that the primary outcome, the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery (NIHTB-CB) composite score, was stable following bariatric surgery (−0.4). For secondary outcomes following surgery, the NIHTB-CB dimensional card sorting test (executive function assessment), improved (+6.5), while the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) delayed recall test (memory assessment) declined (−0.24). There was no association between improvements in metabolic risk factors and diabetes complications with improvements in the NIHTB-CB composite score. At follow-up, the other four NIHTB-CB subtests and Rey AVLT assessments of auditory learning and recognition were unchanged.

"Since individuals with obesity experience more rapid cognitive decline than those without, stable cognition two years after bariatric surgery may be considered a success against historical trends, yet future controlled trials are needed to test this," Reynolds said in a statement.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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Posted January 2024

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