Feb. 21, 2005 -- Gastric bypass surgery is just as helpful to obese people 60 years and older as it is to younger ones, according to a study published in the Archives of Surgery.

Doctors often don't offer the weight-loss surgery to people over 60, thinking it won't help or might not be safe. But researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., compared a group of older and younger obese patients.

They found that younger patients did lose a bit more weight, perhaps because it's easier for them to exercise. But older patients kept off weight, too. And they were more likely than younger patients to report other benefits: They reduced the number of medications they use, and fewer of them needed a breathing device at night for sleep apnea.