Benefits of weight loss surgery diminished after five years

Five years after weight loss surgery, obese patients may regain many of the pounds they initially shed, a new study from Israel suggests.

While surgery remains more effective for lasting weight loss than alternatives such as dieting and exercising, said lead study author Dr. Andrei Keidar, the study findings suggest that doctors still have more to learn about which patients will get the most benefit from operations and what strategies can make the initial results stick.

“The first year after surgery is usually a honeymoon period that should be used for coining new habits, and the ones that don’t . . .