Obesity and Bariatric Surgery

Results of Five Year Follow-Up

 

Treatment	Weight Loss (% of Patients)
Diet and Exercise*	2% to 5%
Medication**	0%
Bariatric Surgery***	50% to 70%

* Success measured as a loss of 10 percent of initial body weight.
** Weight loss is not maintained once treatment ends.
*** Success measured as a loss of 50 percent of excess body weight (equivalent to loss of approximately 20 to 25 percent of initial body weight).

 

The above chart compares the long-term effectiveness of three different obesity treatments: diet and exercise, weight loss medications, and bariatric surgery.

• Bariatric surgery clearly has the best weight loss outcome compared to the other two treatments—50 to 70 percent of people were able to lose at least 50 percent of the excess weight and keep it off for five years
• After five years, only 2 to 5 percent of the people who dieted and exercised had maintained a weight loss of at least 10 percent
• People who had taken weight loss medications were not able to maintain any weight loss

 

Bariatric Surgery

There are several different bariatric surgery procedures, but the two general ways in which they work are restriction and malabsorption:

• Restriction limits the amount of food you can eat. Whether it is a gastric banding device around the stomach or a surgically-created, smaller stomach pouch, restriction ensures that the patient feels satisfied with less food
• Malabsorption limits the number of calories and nutrients your body can absorb. During malabsorptive procedures, the surgeon reroutes the small intestine so that fewer calories and nutrients are absorbed

Commonly performed bariatric procedures include:

• Gastric Bypass
• Gastric Banding
• Sleeve Gastrectomy
• Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch

Important Bariatric Surgery Considerations

Bariatric surgery should not be considered until you and your doctor have explored all other options. The best approach to bariatric surgery calls for a discussion of the following:

• Bariatric surgery is not cosmetic surgery
• Bariatric surgery does not involve the removal of adipose tissue (fat) by suction or surgical removal
• Together, you and your doctor should discuss the benefits and risks
• You must commit to long-term lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise, which are key to the success of bariatric surgery
• Complications after surgery may require further operations
• Patients who underwent bariatric surgery have significantly reduced rates of developing cancer, cardiovascular diseases, endocrinological disorders, infectious diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, psychiatric disorders, and pulmonary disorders