About Morbid Obesity
Morbid obesity is a chronic condition that is difficult to treat through diet and exercise alone. Bariatric surgery, also called gastrointestinal or weight loss surgery, is the best option for people who are morbidly obese and cannot lose weight by traditional means or who suffer from the severe health risks of obesity.
Obesity surgery promotes weight reduction by restricting food intake and, in some operations, interrupting the digestive process. As with other obesity solutions, the best results are achieved in conjunction with healthy eating habits and regular physical activity.
History of Bariatric Surgery
According to the National Institute of Health, the concept of bariatric surgery to control obesity grew out of results of operations for cancer or severe ulcers that removed large portions of the stomach or small intestine. Because patients undergoing these procedures tended to lose weight after surgery, some physicians began to use such operations to treat those who were morbidly obese.
The first operation that was widely used for severe obesity was the intestinal bypass. This operation, first used 40 years ago, resulted in weight reduction by causing malabsorption. The idea was that patients could eat large amounts of food, which would be poorly digested or passed along too fast for the body to absorb many calories. The problem with this surgery was that it caused a loss of essential nutrients and its side effects were unpredictable and sometimes fatal. This original form of the intestinal bypass operation is no longer used.
At Midwest Bariatric Solutions of Northeast Wisconsin, we treat people who are morbidly obese with the following types of bariatric weight loss surgeries:
Please Note: The information presented here should be used only to supplement the information you receive from your weight loss surgeon. If any information on this Web site conflicts with that which you have received from your surgeon, we advise you to follow the guidelines explained by your surgeon.
Source: www.niddk.nih.gov
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| "According to the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS), more than 100,000 people had weight loss surgeries, mostly gastric bypasses, in 2003." |
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