Bariatric surgery is a class of surgical procedures designed to help obese or overweight people cut weight. Your healthcare provider may recommend this treatment if lifestyle changes and other methods of losing weight haven’t worked for you or if obesity seems to pose a significant threat to your health.
Bariatric surgery alters the stomach’s size and anatomy to limit how much food you can consume. Learning more about this weight loss surgery can help you decide if it’s suitable for your needs. Discussed below are four things to know about bariatric surgery for weight loss.
Types of bariatric surgical procedures
There are various bariatric treatments for weight, including:
Gastric sleeve surgery: Also called vertical sleeve gastrectomy, this bariatric procedure involves removing a part of the stomach, creating a sleeve-shaped belly that’s a lower percentage of its original size. It attains weight loss by limiting how much you can eat and the number of hunger hormones the stomach produces.
Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty: It’s a non-surgical, minimally invasive weight loss treatment where an endoscope is inserted into the stomach through the mouth to minimise its size. A surgeon folds and sutures the stomach to achieve a reduced volume.
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: The procedure involves dividing the stomach and connecting it to the small intestines. It achieves weight loss by limiting the stomach size and letting food bypass part of the stomach and a portion of the small intestines, leading to reduced calorie intake.
Mini-gastric bypass: The procedure is similar to roux-en-Y gastric bypass, only that it’s shorter, simpler, and minimally invasive.
SADI-S: It’s a surgical weight loss procedure that combines duodenal switch surgery and gastric sleeve surgery’s components. It’s ideal for those with higher BMIs who have previously undergone bariatric treatments but couldn’t maintain their weight loss goals.
Reliable bariatric experts, such as Elias Ortiz and Company, can help ensure a successful surgery regardless of your chosen procedure.
When is bariatric surgery a viable option?
To be eligible for bariatric surgery, you should meet the following criteria:
A BMI between 35 and 39.9 or 40 and above and an obesity-related health issue
You’ve tried losing weight several times via exercise, diet, and other ways but haven’t succeeded.
You have weight-related health issues like sleep apnoea, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
Benefits of bariatric surgery
Bariatric surgery has multiple advantages, including the following:
Cure or improvement of obesity-related health issues: Bariatric surgery can reverse diabetes complications and other obesity-related health issues like asthma and cholesterol levels.
Improved quality of life: If you are obese, undergoing bariatric surgery leads to substantial weight loss, improving your quality of life.
Bariatric surgery also reduces the risk of death.
Potential side effects of bariatric surgery
Complications you may experience post-bariatric surgery include:
- Gallstones. Speedy weight loss sends a significant amount of cholesterol for the liver to process. When the liver transfers bile to the gallbladder, it takes additional cholesterol with it, which can build up and create gallstones.
- Dumping syndrome. It’s a collection of signs that happen when the belly dumps food too quickly into the small intestines. The symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea, and more, but they fade with time.
- Additional concerns. There’s also the risk of bile influx, malnutrition, and malabsorption.
Endnote
Bariatric surgery is an effective weight loss procedure. Familiarising yourself with what you need to know about bariatric surgery for weight loss can help determine if it’s a suitable treatment.
Tim Williamson, a psychology graduate from the University of Hertfordshire, has a keen interest in the fields of mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.
