I'm putting this in the War Zone because the topic may be controversial, especially as touching on bariatric surgery. My point is mainly this: when you read a study, or a report on a study, take it with a grain of salt, or common sense, or personal experience, and don't be too hasty.

This study claims that the benefits bariatric surgery are overwhelmingly positive as to mortality. Yes, losing a lot of fat can certainly be a healthy life change. But I'm still skeptical of the overall lifestyle benefits, let alone the long-term success, of people who decide (desperately perhaps) on this drastic intervention.

New Study on Bariatric Surgery results

Meanwhile, in other news, I find this snippet from one of my favorite authors, Bill Bryson--who seems to know everything about everything--in his book, The Body. He writes:

"All drugs come with a mixture of benefits and risks, and these are often not well studied. Everyone has heard that taking a low-dose aspirin daily may help prevent a heart attack. That is true, but only up to a point. According to one study of people who had taken low-dose aspirin daily for five years, 1 in 1,667 had been spared a cardiovascular problem, 1 in 2,002 had been spared a nonfatal heart attack, and 1 in 3,000 spared a nonfatal stroke, while 1 in 3,333 suffered major gastrointestinal bleeding that they would not otherwise have experi¬enced. So for most people there is about as much chance of suffering dangerous internal bleeding from taking a daily aspirin as there is of avoiding a heart attack or stroke, but in all cases actually there is very little risk of either."

So...next time you hear the latest medical recommendation, whether it's a daily aspirin, a statin, or some other pill for what's the matter with you, make sure to ask a lot of questions.

If you've read this far, thank you. Be well!