Surgery success rates

Weight loss surgery has become very popular

Gastric bypass surgery is an acceptable weight loss alternative for morbidly obese individuals that have failed using all conventional means of weight loss. Since these surgeries directly aim at withholding the intake or uptake of calories by the body, they are successful at achieving weight loss. Benefits of these surgeries include not only weight loss, but a marked relief from several obesity related illnesses as well. Past success rates, benefits and the use of these surgeries by many celebrities are all making them increasingly popular.

 
Reason behind Success of Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery alters a patient’s stomach or their small intestine making them unable to digest the food and absorb the nutrients and calories it contains. Normally, after you eat the food, it is broken down to simpler and smaller molecules such as sugars, amino acids (building blocks of proteins), vitamins and minerals. This process is digestion. These simpler and smaller molecules are then absorbed through the small intestine to be used to either yield energy or be stored. The more you eat, the more calories and nutrients your body will absorb and assimilate and the fatter you will become.

Bariatric surgeries either reduce the capacity of stomach or remove a portion of the small intestine involved in digestion and absorption of food. A decreased capacity of stomach will confer you a feeling of fullness soon so you will eat less, while a bypass of a part of small intestine will decrease the extent of absorption of nutrients. The net outcome of these surgeries is your body will get less nutrients and calories through either restricted eating or restricted absorption, which will help to lose and keep off excess weight.

Benefits of Surgery

The greatest benefit of bariatric surgery is weight loss it confers. After a successful gastric bypass surgery, the patients normally begin to lose weight almost immediately after the surgery and continue to do so until about 2 years. On an average, the patients lose about 60% of their initial body weight in 2 years and maintain it for many years. With the decrease in body weight, obesity associated illnesses improve as well. High blood pressure, heart diseases, asthma, diabetes, acid reflux, sleep apnea and arthritis are all diseases with symptoms that may improve following the surgery.

Success Rates of Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is viewed successful if it causes a loss of 50% of the surplus weight and the loss is kept in next 5 years. Most research studies conducted to discover weight loss after the surgery show about 75% patients who undergo the surgery lose about 60-70% of their excess weight, which continues for at least 5 years. Many patients might not reach their ideal weight. Still they enjoy health benefits including improvement in obesity related illnesses, their personality, self-esteem, ability to perform physical activity comfortably and improvement in job performance.

Celebrities that have undergone Bariatric Surgery

Carnie Wilson

Carnie Wilson, a pop singer, underwent a laparoscopic weight loss surgery and lost 155 pounds in 16 months and looks much more attractive now. She has set a example for severely obese individuals yearning to reshape their lives.

Al Roker

Roker, the weatherman of "Today" show on the network, had a bariatric surgery 2.5 years ago. He lost about 100 pounds since then with a present weight of 221 pounds.