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Patients who have undergone obesity surgery could benefit from a six month course of growth hormone treatment, scientists have claimed.

According to researchers at University Federico II in Italy, women who had such treatment after being fitted with a gastric band were found to lose less lean body mass and skeletal muscle mass.

Currently, one of the serious side-effects associated with obesity surgery is the potential loss of this type of mass and muscle.

Dr Silvia Savastano, lead author of the study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, said growth hormones are highly-beneficial to "body composition".

"The results of our study show that the use of short-term treatment with growth hormone during a standardised programme of low-calorie diet and physical exercise is effective in reducing the loss of muscle mass and increasing the loss of fat mass after bariatric (obesity) surgery," he explained.

It was recently reported that an anti-obesity pill has been approved for over-the-counter sale at chemists in the EU.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, February 5th, 2009 at 2:00 pm and is filed under Cholesterol / Obesity.