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Bariatric surgery in the form of sleeve gastrectomy leads to a significant reduction in bone strength associated with decreased bone density and increased bone marrow fat.  Harvard Medical School radiologists report these findings after a 2 year prospective study of 54 subjects 15 to 21 years of age.

Of the group, 25 underwent surgery and  29 received dietary and exercise counseling.  The lumbar spine strengths of those undergoing surgery decreased 10-fold more than those receiving medical therapy.  Bone densities of the surgical group decreased 4-fold more than those in the control group.

The bottom line: those undergoing bariatric surgery should have careful monitoring of their bone health with appropriate dietary modifications and medical therapy.

https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.223256

#bariatric #surgery #dieting #osteoporosis #vertebralbodystrength #bonedensity