13-Year-Old Undergoes Weight Loss Surgery

Just a couple months after the American Academy of Pediatrics issued its report endorsing bariatric surgery for adolescents as young as 13 who are living with severe obesity, Robin Blackstone, MD, performed surgery on her youngest patient to date. The 13-year-old girl's parents were both severely obese when she was born, which Dr. Blackstone says elevated her predisposition to also live with severe obesity. However, research shows weight loss surgery like the gastric sleeve can prevent the genetic component of severe obesity from being passed down to the next generation.