About Surgery
Bariatric surgery is known to be the most
effective treatment for individuals diagnosed
with “clinically severe obesity.”
Clinically severe obesity is
identified when a person has a BMI > 40 kg/m2
(approximately 100 pounds overweight) or a BMI >35
kg/m2 with co-morbid conditions caused by the
increased weight. It is has been recognized that
dieting, medications and behavior modification
often fail in this population, detrimentally
affecting the quality and length of life. The
only proven method of achieving long-term weight
loss for the severely obese is through surgical
treatment. (NIH, 1998)
A New England Journal
of Medicine editorial,
'Bariatric Surgery-Quick Fix or Long Term Solution?'
published in December 2004 also concluded that “Bariatric
Surgery is currently the most successful approach
to “rescuing” patients with severe
obesity and reversing or preventing the development
of several diseases associated with obesity.”
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