Lets deal with some basic stats affecting the growth of weight loss surgeries and fat reduction cosmetic operations. One third of the adult population of the United States today is considered overweight. Of these, 60 million are classified as obese. And 15% are considered morbidly obese. Obesity has become a national epidemic.
ObesityinAmerica.org reports that in 2004, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ranked obesity as the number one health threat facing America. Obesity is not just an “adult epidemic” now – between 16 and 33 percent of all children are obese. Many obese adults began struggling with weight issues in childhood.
Severe obesity is a condition that many in the medical profession say is difficult to treat.
Bariatric surgery, often referred to as weight loss surgery or WLS for short, is a viable option for those who are morbidly obese. The number of weight loss operations in the US increased by 800 percent between 1998 and 2004. Between 2005 and 2006, it climbed another 11 percent, growing from approximately 180,000 procedures to more than 200,000. The fastest growth of this surgery occurred among adults aged 55 to 64; perhaps because weight related health considerations for this age group are the most acute.
Weight loss surgery limits the amount of food a patient can take in at one time, and some types of surgery cause the body to not absorb a portion of the calories eaten. This is known as “malabsorption”. One of the most commonly used weight loss surgery uses a combination of both techniques. Most patients will drop weight quickly following this type of surgery. Weight comes off more slowly with some of the other types of weight reducing surgeries, but studies have shown that after two years, all types of surgeries show equivalent drops in weight.
Patients who are contemplating undergoing weight loss surgery often discuss this decision with their primary care doctors. These doctors, who know the patient’s medical history, can determine whether the person suffers from what is known as a co morbidity. Co morbidities are serious health conditions that patients who are morbidly obese have a significantly higher chance of contracting than their thinner counterparts.
Conditions that many morbidly obese people suffer from that are considered co morbidities include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnea and degenerative arthritis. Morbidly obese individuals have a 300-500% greater chance of dying before the age of 76 than people who are not obese.
Weight loss surgery is a very effective and successful method for long-term weight loss. In 1991 and again in 1996, a panel of medical experts associated with the National Institute of Health proclaimed that, “Only surgery has proven effective over the long term as treatment for severe obesity and should be considered the standard of care for all patients who have failed dietary attempts at weight loss.” It has been proven that only 3-5% of individuals who diet are successful at losing weight and keeping it off long term.
