Good cholesterol improved in obese teen boys after weight loss surgery

Good cholesterol levels increased in obese teen boys after weight loss surgery, a new study found. The researchers uncovered that the surgery helps enhance the protective effects of HDL cholesterol.

Study author Dr. Amy Shah said, “We already knew that weight loss surgery improves weight and cholesterol numbers. This new research shows that there are actually changes in the way HDL functions in adolescents, which may lead to a reduction in long-term cardiovascular risk.”

The study involved 10 severely obese teen boys with an average age of 17 and average weight of 367 pounds. The boys underwent vertical sleeve gastrectomy, which reduces the size of the stomach as a means to lose weight.
After one year, the boys lost on average 111 pounds and their body mass index dropped by 32 percent.

Additionally, the boys’ HDL rose 23 percent within a year and their HDL’s ability to remove cholesterol from the arteries improved 12 percent. Lastly, after the surgery, their HDL became more anti-inflammatory as its ability to generate free radicals and trigger inflammation dropped by 30 percent.

Shah added, “Despite remaining obese, these young men showed improved metabolic health measured by HDL function after surgery. We plan to expand our work to study girls, to look at time points sooner than one year to see how early after surgery HDL function improves, and will compare these results to other types of weight loss surgery.”

Also, read Bel Marra Health’s article on Yummy foods that won’t increase your cholesterol.