Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery provides ongoing weight management where diets fail.

Bariatric surgery is rapidly gaining in popularity as a safe and effective way to reduce weight in the severely obese. The terms ‘morbid obesity’ and ‘clinically severe obesity’ both refer to a disease of excess energy stores in the form of fat. The state of being morbidly obese refers to those that are 100 pounds or more overweight. Bariatric surgery is strongly recommended for those that are more than 100 pounds overweight.

Studies have shown that diet and exercise programs adopted by the severely obese result in an average weight loss of only 3 pounds. Although there may be a significant loss of weight during the beginning of diet and/or exercise programs, over an extended period of time it has been shown that these approaches are just not able to provide long term weight control. Bariatric surgery is medically necessary for the long term treatment of severe obesity.

The main concern with severe obesity is the increased propensity for life threatening illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer. Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for all adults regardless of age or gender. It has been shown that a patient’s risk for developing these dangerous obesity related illnesses decreases to those of a healthy weight individual as soon as their body weight falls within this range. Patients over the age of 55 have benefited from bariatric operations with drastically reduced morbidity rates.

For women of childbearing years there are special benefits and considerations that go along with bariatric surgery for treatment of severe obesity. For many women, obesity plays a significant role in infertility problems. Bariatric operations not only increase the general health of these patients, but has been shown to improve their odds of conceiving. During the rapid weight loss portion of a bariatric surgery program it is important for women of childbearing years to adhere to a birth control regimen. There are special nutritional issues that need to be addressed with those patients seeking to become pregnant after this phase of a bariatric surgery program.

Patients seeking bariatric surgery information should be evaluated by a physician and provided with sufficient information on which they can base their decision as to the type of bariatric surgery that is right for them. As with any form of bariatric surgery, prospective candidates must be made aware that ongoing medical evaluations are a necessary part of any bariatric surgery program. This is mainly to monitor and address any nutritional deficiency issues that may arise.

As with any surgical treatment, there are risks and contingencies that should be carefully considered before committing to a bariatric surgery program. However, the prevention of secondary complications of obesity that bariatric surgery provides is generally thought to far outweigh the risks of bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery, while a vigorous therapy, is less harmful than the diseases being treated and/or prevented.

Severe obesity is a disease, not a disorder of willpower, as is commonly stated by the uninformed. Several studies have verified the influence of genetically determined proteins produced by fat cells to be among the many mechanisms which have a place in the control of satiety. Because bariatric surgery patients are physically limited in the amount of food they can intake, eating habits as well as genetic factors are each effectively addressed. Bariatric surgery offers an effective means toward maintaining a healthy weight regardless of the contributing factors.