Bariatric surgery is an effective weight loss procedure and often helps treat many diseases related to obesity like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, high cholesterol, sleep apnea. The procedure is recommended for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 and above, or BMI of 35 with co-existing medical conditions.
BMI is a measure to evaluate body weight in relation to your height.
BMI of 30 to 34.9 – Class 1 obesity (Low-risk)
BMI of 35 to 39.9 – Class 2 obesity (Moderate-risk)
BMI of 40 and above – Class 3 obesity (High-risk)
It is a clinically proven procedure to control and treat obesity-related health conditions. This procedure is designed to change the digestion process so that the food is absorbed or broken down differently. It causes weight loss by restricting the food intake, reducing the stomach size with a gastric band, re-routing the consumed food to the small stomach pouch, or removing a portion of the stomach.
Most of the patients lose 30 to 50 percent of their excess weight in the first six months and up to 77 percent of excess weight after 12 months of surgery. Bariatric surgery is not a replacement for healthy eating habits and lifestyle, but it gets easier for you to be physically active and consume fewer calories.
Types of Bariatric Surgery
Today, most of the bariatric surgeries require fewer cuts, less post-operative complications, and minimal tissue damage. There are various types of bariatric surgery including restrictive and malabsorptive procedures.
- Restrictive procedure – It severely reduces the stomach size and limits the amount of food the stomach can hold, but the digestive functions remain intact.
- Malabsorptive procedure – It changes the structure of the digestive system by removing a portion of the stomach or re-routing the food from the small intestine.