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The brain is rejuvenated after bariatric surgery, Quebec researchers conclude

The results indicated that one year after surgery the brain had rejuvenated by about three years; a year later the rejuvenation stood at 5.6 years.

Author of the article:

La Presse Canadienne

La Presse Canadienne

Jean-Benoit Legault

A bariatric surgeon in Saskatchewan.
A bariatric surgeon in Saskatchewan. Photo by TROY FLEECE /Regina Leader-Post

The major weight loss that follows bariatric surgery is accompanied by a rejuvenation of the brain, a study conducted by Quebec researchers has found.

According to the study, a rejuvenation of more than five years is detectable in the patient’s brain two years after surgery.

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“It really suggests that there is an improvement in cerebral health after bariatric surgery,” said study author Andréanne Michaud, who is a professor at the École de nutrition de l’Université Laval and researcher at the Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec-Université Laval.

Researchers used MRI brain scans to track the cerebral health of 600 patients, monitoring the density of grey matter that is a part of the aging process.

The model was applied to a cohort of 30 obese patients to determine how their neuroanatomy differed from that of the general population.

Michaud said that severe obesity was accompanied by an increase in aging of the brain. Images were taken two months before the surgery and then four, 12 and 24 months after the procedure. The results indicated that one year after surgery, the subject’s brain had rejuvenated by about three years, while after two years the rejuvenation stood at 5.6 years.

The improvement in cerebral age that followed the surgery seemed to be associated with the resulting weight loss. The study found that the greater the reduction in body weight and body mass index, the greater the level of cerebral rejuvenation.

Research had already established that bariatric surgery resulted in a marked improvement in cardio-metabolic health, Michaud said. However, the new study confirmed it also resulted in improved brain health.

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