Healthy Soch
Author: Dr Rakesh Kumar Prasad, Head, Department of Endocrinology, Fortis Hospital Noida; and Dr Sanjay Kalra
India
Healthysoch
New Delhi, August 25, 2026:
Thyroid surgery by itself is unlikely to cause clinically significant long-term weight gain, according to findings from a decade-old study published in The Journal of Surgical Research*.
This retrospective cohort study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center evaluated whether thyroid surgery was associated with long-term BMI changes and also examined clinical and pathological factors that might influence weight trajectories. The study included adults with thyroid nodule disease who had documented BMI measurements in an institutional database between 2003 and 2023. A total of 1173 patients who underwent thyroid surgery were compared with 1173 nonsurgical controls. The primary outcome was the change in BMI over time, while secondary analyses assessed whether changes in BMI were associated with sex, extent of surgery, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, or thyroid pathology.
During the 10 years of follow-up, both groups experienced a modest increase in BMI. The mean BMI increase was 1.08 kg/m² among patients who underwent surgery compared with 0.70 kg/m² among nonsurgical controls. However, this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.21).
Both groups experienced modest increases in BMI over 10 years, which align with expected age-related changes. No significant association were observed between 10-year BMI change and sex (P = 0.19), extent of thyroid surgery (P = 0.22), thyroid-stimulating hormone level (P = 0.64), or thyroid pathology (P = 0.54). Weight change was also not associated with thyroid surgery, except among patients who were underweight at the time of surgery.
These findings alleviate a common concern among patients undergoing thyroid surgery about significant long-term weight gain. Clinicians can counsel that patients that modest BMI increases over time was comparable between patients who underwent thyroid surgery and those who did not and are more consistent with expected age-related changes rather than an effect of surgery.
Reference: Taylor O, et al. Association of thyroid surgery with body mass index: a 10-Y Cohort Study. J Surg Res. 2026 Jul 21:326:413-422. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2026.06.061.
