What is Gastric bypass?
Gastric bypass (or gastric surgery) and other types of weight-loss surgery — also called bariatric or metabolic surgery — involve making changes to your digestive system to help you lose weight.
Bariatric surgery is done when diet and exercise haven’t worked or when you have serious health problems because of your weight. Some weight-loss procedures limit how much you can eat. Others work by reducing the body’s ability to absorb fat and calories. Some procedures do both.
While bariatric surgery can offer many benefits, all forms of weight-loss surgery are major procedures that can pose risks and side effects. Also, you must make permanent healthy changes to your diet and get regular exercise to help ensure the long-term success of bariatric surgery.
Why is bariatric surgery done?
Bariatric surgery or Gastric Surgery is the most successful long-term treatment for class III obesity. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), it is nearly impossible for people with class III obesity to sustain weight loss through diet and exercise alone. Once your body has registered your higher weight as “normal,” it continues to try to return to that weight. Bariatric surgery works by changing how your body manages what you eat, allowing healthy diet and lifestyle changes to be effective for sustained weight loss and health.
What kinds of conditions can bariatric surgery treat?
Obesity is associated with many chronic diseases, many of which can be life-threatening. These conditions and risk factors greatly improve after Gastric Surgery and weight loss. If you’re a candidate for bariatric surgery, you may already have or be at risk of developing any of these diseases, including:
- High cholesterol. Hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) means your blood has too many lipids (fats) in it. These can add up and lead to blockages in your blood vessels. This is why high cholesterol can put you at risk for a stroke or heart attack.
- High blood pressure. Hypertension (high blood pressure) means the force of blood flowing through your blood vessels is too high. This wears down the walls of your blood vessels and puts you at greater risk of heart attack and stroke.
- High blood sugar. Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) is highly linked to insulin resistance and is considered a precursor to diabetes. Left untreated, it can damage your nerves, blood vessels, tissues and organs, increasing your risk of many diseases.
- Type 2 diabetes. Excess fat storage can lead to insulin resistance, which can lead to adult-onset diabetes (type 2). The risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases by 20% for each 1 point increase on the BMI (body mass index) scale.
- Heart disease. Obesity can lead to impaired cardiac function and congestive heart failure. It can also cause plaque to build up inside your arteries and increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Kidney disease. Metabolic syndromes associated with obesity, including high blood pressure, insulin resistance and congestive heart failure, are major contributors to chronic kidney disease and kidney failure.
- Obstructive sleep apnea. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep when their upper respiratory tract becomes blocked. These episodes reduce oxygen flow to the vital organs and particularly endanger the heart.
- Osteoarthritis. Having excess weight puts extra pressure on joints like your knees. This makes it more likely that you’ll develop osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, or make it worse if you already have it.
- Non-alcohol related fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD occurs when your body begins depositing excess fat in your liver. It can lead to non-alcohol related steatohepatitis (NASH), chronic inflammation that can do long-term damage to your liver.
- Cancer. While the connection isn’t entirely understood, obesity is correlated with an increased risk of acquiring more than a dozen types of cancer. It also increases your risk of death from cancer by more than 50%.
What qualifies you for gastric surgery?
Gastric surgery requirements begin with establishing a diagnosis of class III obesity. That means that you either:
- Have a BMI of 40 or higher. The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a way of estimating how much body fat you have based on your height-to-weight ratio. A score of 40 or higher is associated with a high risk of related diseases. It usually equates to about 100 lbs. overweight.
- Have a BMI of at least 35 and at least one related health problem. A BMI of 35 without a related health problem is considered class II obesity.
The criteria are slightly higher for adolescents. An adolescent may be a candidate if they have:
- BMI of at least 40 and an obesity-related medical condition.
- BMI of at least 35 and a severe obesity-related medical condition.
While BMI is easily measured, you may have to take some medical tests to diagnose your obesity-related health conditions.
Common myths about bariatric surgery
- Gastric Surgery is a last resort. Bariatric surgery is the most effective long-term treatment for class III obesity. When studied scientifically, diet and exercise — alone or in combination with medications — are much less effective over the long term.
- Gastric Surgery is the “easy way out.” Bariatric surgery can be thought of as a tool that allows a healthy diet and lifestyle to lead to sustained weight loss. Often, patients have made these changes before without long-term success. Surgery allows those changes to be effective.
How is weight loss surgery performed?
- Weight loss surgery is usually performed through minimally invasive methods (laparoscopic surgery). That means small incisions, faster healing and less pain and scarring than you would have with traditional open surgery. Very rarely, some patients are better treated with open surgery due to their specific conditions.