University at Buffalo to launch $5M obesity study

Business First of Buffalo
6:53 AM EST Tuesday March 7, 2006
The University at Buffalo is preparing to embark on what’s being billed as a landmark study on obesity.

Officials from UB and BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York will announce the research and treatment program Tuesday morning.

Funding for the project is pegged at $5 million. Research will involve 280 area residents and focus on weight-loss alternatives to gastric bypass surgery. Officials said an estimated $4.5 billion was spent on gastric bypass surgery last year.

The annual cost of health care related to obesity, which measures nearly 5 percent of the U.S. population, is placed at $117 billion annually.

Tags: gastric bypass, bariatric surgery, weight loss surgery, obesity surgery, lapband, obesity research