Obesity epidemic partially solved by weight loss surgery

Extreme obesity effectively treated with weight loss surgery

Obesity rates in the United States have doubled in the last 30 years and today some 34 percent of Americans are considered obese according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But weight loss surgery is now a viable and effective option for severely obese people according to the American Heart Association. Recently, U.S. and Canadian researchers said that the benefits of bariatric surgery outweigh the risks.

The AHA said in a report published today in the medical journal Circulation that gastric banding and gastric bypass can induce weight loss as well as lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

About five percent of Americans suffer from extreme obesity, the CDC says. These people are at most risk for heart attacks, stroke and diabetes.

For years, health experts have been advocating exercise, healthy diets and medication to curb rising obesity rates. But the results have been dismal and the study authors said it is time to consider weight loss surgery more.

"At the moment, bariatric surgery should be reserved for patients who can undergo surgery safely, have severe obesity and have failed attempts at medical therapy," chief researcher Paul Poirier said in a statement.

Doctors look at the body mass index or BMI to assess obesity. Those with a BMI of 30 and above are considered obese. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is overweight.

Those with a BMI of 40 and above are considered extremely obese and for this group, bariatric surgery is the treatment of choice. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed Allergan, Inc. to market its Lap-Band device to those with a BMI of at least 30. The decision can help more people win their battle with obesity.

Posted by George Daniels on Wednesday March 16 2011, 6:12 AM EST. Ref: Bloomberg. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0