It's a well-known fact that our nation has a critical weight problem. More than one-third of U.S. adults - nearly 40 percent - are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, and the percentage continues to climb. Obesity and being overweight are linked to several chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.
Whether you're simply trying to lose weight and be healthy, reduce body fat, control your risk for diabetes or another obesity-related disease, or manage symptoms of an already diagnosed disease, if you have tried other weight-loss methods and failed to keep the weight off, it may be time to consider bariatric surgery.
The National Institutes of Health recognize bariatric surgery as the only effective treatment to combat severe obesity and maintain lasting weight loss. The surgery works by changing the anatomy of your stomach and digestive tract to either restrict food intake or limit the calories that can be absorbed. These surgical alterations affect the production of intestinal hormones to reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness. Commonwealth Health Wilkes-Barre General Hospital offers different weight loss procedure options, including gastric bypass and gastric band.
Bariatric procedures enable patients who have been unable to lose weight using diet and exercise alone to lose a significant amount of weight and maintain that loss over the long term. According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, patients can generally expect to maintain weight loss equal to or greater than 50 percent of excess body weight if a physician's guidelines are followed carefully.
In addition, other concerns - including diabetes, hypertension, respiratory problems, heart disease and depression - may improve significantly after weight loss.
Bariatric weight loss surgery can be a very helpful tool in achieving long-term weight loss and improving the overall quality of your health. At Commonwealth Health Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, our bariatric surgery program guides patients through the entire process. Are you ready to learn more?