AN OXFORD scientist has been handed more than three-quarters of a million pounds by the British Heart Foundation to try to find out which of the three commonest operations to treat obesity gives the most benefit to the heart.

Consultant cardiologist professor Oliver Rider will use the £789,000 grant to establish whether a gastric bypass, gastric banding and sleeve gastrectomy gives the greatest cardiovascular benefit.

He said: "With the number of bariatric procedures increasing, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the full impact of this type of surgery.

"Through this trial we will seek to determine whether or not all forms of weight loss surgery give the same cardiovascular benefit. "Ultimately, this study should provide evidence to establish the most effective treatment for obesity, improving outcomes for patients and saving the health service money."

Being obese raises cholesterol and blood pressure levels increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. It can also damage the heart by causing it to become abnormally enlarged and blood vessels to stiffen.

While all the operations are effective in helping people lose weight, it is currently not known which of the surgeries has the most positive impact on the structure and function of the heart.

To answer this question, Professor Rider and his team will study a group of 120 people who are having gastric surgery.

They will use a combination of exercise testing, echocardiograms and MRI scans to see if improvements in the function of the heart relate to the different operations.

A better understanding of the impact of bariatric surgery on the heart could help doctors make decisions about how to treat obesity.

More than a quarter (26.9 per cent) of the UK population is obese.

Each year the NHS in England carries out around 6,000 bariatric surgeries.

This type of surgery is only available for people who are dangerously obese and when lifestyle changes have not worked.

Dr Shannon Amoils, Senior Research Adviser at the British Heart Foundation, said: "This work will not only reveal the potential cardiovascular benefits of different types of weight loss surgery, but will also document the effects of obesity on the heart’s structure and function.

"Funding Dr Rider’s research is part of the BHF’s ongoing commitment to improving the UK’s heart health. We’ve made incredible progress over the last 50 years, and the BHF has played a major part in that. But there is still much more to be done and projects like this are helping to advance our fight against cardiovascular disease."