Weight loss surgery is also known as bariatric surgery or metabolic surgery to treat obesity. These surgeries are very effective in treating diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and high cholesterol, among many other diseases.
The prevalence of obesity is at its highest. With the increase of obesity cases, there is an increase in the number of bariatric surgeries taking place. But, are these surgeries really safe, and do they really work for weight loss? Let us find out our answers by the end of this article.
There is no doubt to say that obesity and overweight are the root cause of several serious and life-threatening diseases.
Obesity can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, and even stroke, obesity is one of the causes of cancers like breast cancer and colon cancer.
Recent studies even showed the relation between obesity and pancreatic cancer.
Obesity does not stop with attracting physical diseases and illness, it slowly makes its way to affect the mental health of a person and leaves them in the pit of depression, anxiety, and social awkwardness.
Based on the effects of obesity there is no doubt why people who are unable to lose weight with proper diet and regular exercise are going for bariatric surgery.
Bariatric surgery is a series of weight loss procedures that the patient can have, which makes them reduce their food intake, thus making them lose weight.
An individual is classified as obese if their BMI is or above 30, and the person is considered extremely obese when their BMI is above 40.
There are three main procedures in bariatric surgery:
Gastric bypass surgery is one of the most regularly used bariatric procedures around the globe, according to researches. This procedure includes re-routing the entire digestive system past the stomach so that it can boost satiety and subdue hunger.
Gastric band surgery consists of having an inflatable band arranged around the top portion of the patient’s stomach. This inflatable band creates a smaller stomach pouch, which leads to eating less and this will make a person feel full and satisfy their hunger even after they consumed a small quantity of food than they do regularly.
In the sleeve gastrectomy surgery, around 80% of the patient’s stomach is removed so that they can create a smaller stomach pouch. This reduces the amount of food that can be consumed. The patient who went through the sleeve gastrectomy procedure can feel full after a small quantity of food and metabolize it faster than usual.
Bariatric surgery was once quoted as the “Most effective option for weight loss”. There was a lot of buzzes back then saying that bariatric surgery is a more effective way for weight loss than the non-surgical methods for obese patients.
There were even studies that shown that weight loss surgery is linked with very few cardiovascular situations like heart stroke and other heart diseases, it even suggested that bariatric surgeries improved the sex drive in patients.
But is this actually true? And does it outweighs the potential side effects that a patient can get and more overdoes it really helpful for weight loss?
Yes, recent studies and researches prove that though there are several side effects of bariatric surgery (our link of the major complications of bariatric surgery),
it certainly out weights the complications that a person might get due to obesity.
Doctors say that if the patient after the surgeries gets regular follow-ups, sticks with the diet suggested by the doctors, and takes vitamin and mineral supplements, it can definitely be beneficial rather than being obese and attracting several diseases.