The Two Procedures for Obesity Surgery

People who are considered severely obese might want too consult their doctor about having obesity surgery due to the health risks associated with severe obesity as well as the risk of having a shortened life span.

Most experts agree that the risks associated with severe obesity are greater than the risks associated with obesity surgery. If your doctor believes your body weight is more than one hundred pounds above your ideal body weight you are considered to be a candidate for surgery. The two prominent surgical procedures for obesity are Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and an adjustable gastric banding system called LAP-BAND.

Weight loss surgeries are considered to be restrictive or malabsorptive. The restrictive variety of surgery limits the amount of food that enters the stomach while the malabsorptive variety of obesity surgery works by causing the food you eat to be poorly digested and absorbed and exiting in the stool.

Gastric Bypass Surgery

This is the most popular obesity surgery in the United States due to being successful and causing a minimal amount of unwanted side effects. The procedure involves using a staple to divide the stomach and only allowing food to access the very small portion of the stomach that has been created by the surgery. The tiny pouch only has room for a few ounces of food at any given time which eventually leads to the desired weight loss.

Due to this type of obesity surgery, some of the nutrients and minerals do not enter the larger portion of the stomach or the intestines and thus are not absorbed by the body. People who have this type of surgery must make sure they are keeping a healthy level of vitamins, minerals and nutrients in their diet.

Laparoscopic Bypass surgery is popular since this procedure utilizes small incisions thus providing patients with a shorter recovery time after surgery and a lower chance of acquiring a hernia. This obesity surgery involves placing a restrictive inflatable band made of silicone into the abdomen. The band is placed on the upper portion of the stomach and produces a very small pouch which serves as the new stomach.

This tiny pouch restricts the amount of food a person can eat at one time. The band also slows down the procedure of food entering the stomach as well as the intestines which makes the patient feel fuller after a meal.

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery involves creating a tiny pouch by using a vertical banding procedure or by stapling. Like the other surgeries this procedure causes a restriction in the amount of food a person can eat at ant given time. This version of obesity surgery also connects a Y shaped portion of the small intestine to the small pouch in order for food to bypass the duodenum and the first portion of the jejunum.

This procedure reduces the amount of calories and nutrients absorbed by the patient's body. The patients will have to make sure they maintain the appropriate level of nutrition in their diet after the surgery. If you are severely obese consult with your physician to find out if obesity surgery is right for you.

1. Prev:The Effects of Obesity on Society as a Whole
2. Next:The Best Definition of Obesity is a Body Mass Index of Thirty or More