Weight Loss Surgery Can Dramatically Improve Rheumatoid Arthritis, Study Finds

Doctors recommend that if you have RA, it is crucial to maintain a healthy weight as well as a healthy lifestyle. “Certainly losing weight can lower your triglyceride levels and possibly your cholesterol levels, decreasing this as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Losing weight may also have an effect on lowering blood pressure and improving diabetes blood glucose control and further lowering cardiovascular risk” said Dr. El-Bogdadi. As to whether bariatric surgery presents better results in alleviation of RA disease activity in comparison to losing weight through proper diet and exercise, “obesity surgery may improve RA, at least indirectly, by altering factors that make up the disease activity score. Prospective controlled studies are needed to further evaluate the exact parameters that are improved with obesity surgery in patients with RA” said Dr. El-Bogdadi. Moreover, “There is no data to suggest that one type of obesity surgery procedure is more effective than another for improvement of RA” he said.