A new study is of the suggestion that gastric bypass surgery could possibly be able to help in lowering cholesterol levels and perk up the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL, which is the good cholesterol.

The study depicted that within just six months of gastric bypass, almost all patients with high cholesterol had normal blood cholesterol levels and 91% of patients, who were on statins or other lipid-lowering drugs prior to surgery no longer required taking the help of those drugs.

Even after six years, all the patients had been taking no medication. Patients, who prior to surgery had an average body mass index of 50, lost practically 40% of their body mass index or 80% of their surplus body weight.

Researchers at University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics kept a track on 248 laparoscopic gastric bypass patients for almost six years.

Ninety-four had hyperlipidemia, an elevation of lipids fats, which includes cholesterol and triglycerides in the bloodstream and 23 were being treated with lipid-lowering medications. Hyperlipidemia is a risk feature for coronary artery disease.

Mohammad Jamal, lead study Author and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics said that bariatric surgery appears to offer patients the jumpstart to preserve the weight loss for a longer duration, so as to keep hyperlipidemia away.