15, 2013 4:21 p.m. ET ATLANTA--Weight-loss surgery may help reverse the effects of aging on genes, according to a small, intriguing new study presented at a major conference on obesity here. Bariatric surgery has been shown to lead to significant weight loss, averaging 50% of initial body weight or more and often dramatic improvement in diabetes and other health outcomes. In Friday's study, researchers from Stanford University examined a marker of aging called telomeres--caps at the end of chromosomes that prevent DNA from degrading--in a group of 51 patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery. The procedure significantly reduces the size of the stomach and re-routes part of the digestive tract. Telomeres have been shown to be related to aging, workout as they grow shorter over the course of the lifespan and with the presence of disease. Their length can increase again but is generally slow to change. <br>Full story: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303289904579200250935122662
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