Weight Loss (Bariatric) Surgery
Bariatric surgery is the technical term for operations that are designed to help people lose weight where diet and exercise alone have failed. It is not an option for all people who are overweight, and surgery alone without dietary or lifestyle modifications may not be successful. There are several operations which are currently performed to achieve rapid weight loss. Each has its own risks and complications. Procedures may be broadly classified into one of two categories. First, the so-called restrictive procedures, produce weight loss by limiting the amount of food that may be ingested. The second category is the malabsorptive procedures, which interfere with the body’s normal process of nutrient uptake and digestion so that ingested food is not properly absorbed. Some procedures incorporate elements of both restriction and malabsorption.
Obesity and being overweight is not the same thing. People who are obese have a great amount of fat and are at risk for serious health problems. In order to determine if a person is obese, Doctors use a measurement called a body mass index (BMI). This BMI is a relation between the person’s height and mass. A person with a BMI in the 95th percentile will be considered overweight. A BMI between the 85th and 95th percentile generally means that the person is at risk for being overweight.
