Obesity & Weight Loss Surgery

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By Serena Brown
eHow Contributing Writer

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Obesity---being at least 20 percent over ideal body weight---is considered a health risk. More than 60 million Americans are obese. Ideal candidates for weight loss surgery are men who are at least 100 pounds overweight, and women who are at least 80 pounds overweight. Some people who are less overweight will be considered candidates for weight loss surgery if they have heart disease, sleep apnea or diabetes.

Methods

There are two types of weight loss surgery. Restrictive surgery reduces the amount of food ingested. Malabsorptive surgery alters digestion to keep food from being completely absorbed.

Restrictive Surgery

With vertical banded gastroplasty, the stomach is stapled to make it smaller. In laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery, a band is put around the upper part of the stomach to make the patient feel full faster.

Malabsorptive Surgery

Malabsorptive surgery makes the stomach smaller but not as small as with restrictive surgery.
In this surgery, the small intestine is altered so calories and nutrients are not absorbed very well. This surgery produces more lost weight because of the malabsorption.

Risks

Risks associated with weight loss surgery include bleeding, infections, ulcers, pulmonary problems and complications from anesthesia. There is also the possibility the patient will not lose enough weight or will lose too much weight.