Bariatric Surgery increases Cognative Function

What the Study Found

Previous studies have found people with obesity are at higher risk for cognitive impairments, including memory loss, which increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In 2014, a team of researchers from Kent State University in Ohio set out to find whether bariatric surgery could improve cognitive function such as language, memory and attention.

The study involved 86 people with obesity; 63 of them had undergone bariatric surgery, and the remaining 23 people had not. All participants completed a cognitive test before surgery, and were asked to complete similar tests 12 weeks and 24 months after surgery. The participants who did not undergo bariatric surgery also completed the tests at the same time intervals.

Researchers found bariatric surgery patients showed improved memory at both the 12-week and 24-month marks, while those who did not undergo bariatric surgery didn’t exhibit any changes. The researchers believe these findings show bariatric surgery can lead to long-term improvements in memory, and may even help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

These findings are not the first to suggest bariatric surgery may improve cognitive function. Researchers at the University of Sao Paolo in Brazil last year studied 17 obese women before and after they underwent bariatric surgery. After surgery, the women showed improvements in executive function, which is used for problem solving, planning, organizing and strategizing.