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Obesity is a serious health problem that kills many people every year. Chronically obese people are unable to live a normal life because the excess fat on their body prevents them from doing things that they enjoy. They are at a high risk of potentially fatal diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart diseases, and as a result have a shorter life span. A number of treatment methods have been developed to cure obesity and one of the most effective is bariatric surgery, more commonly known as weight loss surgery. Bariatric surgery is not a single surgical procedure. It is a collective name for several different procedures that have the same aim: to help the patience achieve weight loss by limiting the absorption of food into their body. This is basically achieved in the following three ways: • Restrictive procedures: These procedures involve reducing the size of the stomach either by removing a portion of the stomach or by implanting a gastric band in the stomach. A small stomach reduces food intake and leads to weight loss. Common restrictive procedures include vertical banded gastroplasty, adjustable gastric band, sleeve gastrectomy, intragastric balloon and gastric plication. • Malabsorptive procedures: These procedures involve shortening the digestive tract with the aim to bypass a significant amount of caloric absorption. Weight loss happens over a period of time due to reduction in calorie intake. Common malabsorptive procedures include biliopancreatic diversion and endoluminal sleeve. • Mixed procedures: These procedures combine elements of both restrictive and malabsorptive procedures. Weight loss occurs as a result of a reduced stomach as well as a reduced calorie intake. Mixed procedures include gastric bypass surgery, sleeve gastrectomy with duodenal switch and implantable gastric stimulation. Today, most weight loss surgeries are performed using laparoscopic surgery, which is a minimally invasive surgery in which very small incisions of 0.5 to 1.5 cm are made. This ensures a short hospital say and quick recovery. But in some cases, open surgery may be needed requiring the surgeon to cut the skin and tissues and close the incision afterwards with stitches or staples. This requires a longer hospital stay and a longer recovery period. Recent research has suggested that weight loss surgery is appropriate for obese people with a BMI of 35 to 40 if they have no comorbidities or a BMI of 30 to 35 if they have comorbidities. BMI is short form of Body Mass Index which is calculated using your height and weight. If you have a BMI of above 25, it means that you are obese and are at risk of obesity related health problems. Comorbidity means the presence of two or more disorders or diseases either simultaneously or sequentially. Studies have shown that weight loss surgery can result in significant weight loss over a period of time and recovery from obesity-related diseases like diabetes and heart diseases. The surgery was also found to have reduced mortality rate in obese people significantly (down to 23%). Weight loss surgery has come a long way and is today a very safe and effective procedure for the treatment of obesity and obesity-related disorders and diseases. If you enjoyed this article written by Alyssa Thomas, a specialist in Health articles, you can find out more information from AMBI as a trusted expert in the subject of weight loss surgery.
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