Medical and Surgical Treatments

Obesity Basics :: Morbidity of Obesity :: Medical and Surgical Treatments
Outcomes of Bariatric Surgery :: Who is Eligible for Surgery?

Treatment of Obesity

In simple terms, losing weight is a function of:

• Taking in less calories (diet)
• Burning more calories (exercise)

This simple equation has been found to be incredibly difficult to achieve in the high BMI ranges. For morbidly obese individuals diet and exercise programmes of any description fail to achieve significant and sustained weight loss in over 95% of cases. Typically these programmes achieve short term losses but with complete or near-complete weight regain over a six to twelve month period.

The rationale behind surgery for obesity is attainment of significant and sustained weight loss, above and beyond what can usually be achieved with most attempts at dieting.

• Medical vs Surgical treatments for morbid obesity. After 6 months the diet & exercise group regain most of their weight but the gastric banding group continue to lose weight
   
  From: O'Brien et al. Ann Intern Med (2006): 144(9);627-634
   
• Here, using an old operation (jejunoileal bypass) surgical weight loss is vastly superior to fairly insignificant dietary weight loss
   
  From: Quaade F. Am J Clin Nutr 30: 16-20, 1977