Metabolic and bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery, dramatically improves outcomes for patients with obesity and chronic kidney disease (CKD), significantly reducing the risk of kidney failure, major cardiovascular events, and death, according to new research presented today at the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Annual Meeting (#ASMBS2026).
CKD patients who underwent metabolic and bariatric surgery had their risk of developing end-stage kidney disease cut in half (5.9% vs. 11.9%), nearly 60% less likely to need dialysis (4.1% vs. 9%), and more than twice as likely to receive a kidney transplant (4.6% vs. 2.2%). The risk of heart attack and stroke was also reduced by almost half (15.5% vs. 27.7%), and mortality rates were significantly reduced by more than 75% (5% vs. 16%).
In a real-world analysis of more than 8,900 patients with obesity and CKD, researchers compared the five-year outcomes of patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass to those with similar health conditions who did not undergo surgery. Data from 2010 to 2020 were obtained from the TriNetX Research Network electronic medical records database.
These findings demonstrate that metabolic and bariatric surgery not only treats obesity, but also fundamentally alters the course of chronic kidney disease and should be considered early in the disease process. Early intervention slows disease progression, reduces the number of patients who progress to kidney failure, improves cardiovascular disease outcomes, and increases access to life-saving transplants. ”
Jerry Dunn, MD, FRCSC, FACS, FASMBS, senior study author, Cleveland Clinic Associate Professor of Surgery, Case Western Reserve University Lerner School of Medicine
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CKD affects approximately 35.5 million Americans, or about 1 in 7 adults, and is the leading cause of death in the United States. Obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure are the main risk factors for this disease.
“The survival benefits observed in this study for surgical patients are extraordinary, but not surprising,” said ASMBS President Richard M. Peterson, MD, MPH, FASMBS, who was not involved in the study. “These procedures are not just about losing weight, they are about changing the trajectory of chronic disease, preserving organ function and saving lives.”
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American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
