What is obesity?

Obesity is characterized by an increase in the size and number of fat cells in the body, which leads to an excessive accumulation of body fat. On average, overweight and obese individuals have higher blood glucose and cholesterol values - they are also prone to developing heart diseases (including cancer), and diseases of the joints as well.

Weight to height ratio is a simple and widely acceptable method, which estimates the total body mass rather than fat mass and correlates with the amount of body fat. BMI of 25-30 is considered as an indication of overweight. Overweight is excessive storage of fat in the body. Each gram of this store generates about 9 calories when burnt. If your food supplies 9 calories less than the bodies requirement you will reduce 1 gram of weight as body will burn that one gram fat to generate the calories for energy.

What is the solution for obese patients?

Individuals having a Body Mass Index of 25-30 are considered obese, while individuals having a Body Mass Index of 35 are considered morbidly obese - such individuals might suffer from various other diseases like blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension, joint aches etc., which are all concomitants of obesity.

Bariatric (Weight Loss) Surgery offers a new ray of hope for the morbidly obese patients to enjoy a normal and healthy life.

The following are the candidates for weight loss surgery:

·Individuals who have repeatedly tried and failed with dieting.

·Individuals with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 i.e. approximately 50kg than the ideal weight or more and health-related conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, joint disease, depression, or others.

Bariatric (weight loss) Surgery promotes weight loss through two different methods:

Gastric Banding is a procedure in which the stomach is neither opened nor stapled. The band creates an hourglass shaped stomach having a small upper pouch with a narrow outlet. The new small upper gastric pouch restricts the amount of food stomach can hold and that can be consumed at one time. So one feels full and satisfied after a small meal. The narrowed outlet increases the time it takes for the stomach to empty. One therefore feels full for a longer time with no desire to eat.

Gastric Bypass (Roux-en-Y surgery) reduces the capacity of the stomach by creating a small stomach pouch. The procedure also constructs a tiny stomach outlet, which slows the speed by which food leaves your stomach. So one feels full after eating a small amount and will stay satisfied for a long time.

On average, patients lose 65-85% percent of excess body weight within one year after surgery.

Because surgery is such an effective method of long-term weight loss, most patients experience profound improvements in their health. Many of the health problems associated with obesity (overweight) are resolved after weight loss surgery.

Helping the patient reduce weight, cures him of various other ailments like:

·Type 2 Diabetes

·Obstructive sleep apnea

·High blood pressure

Other conditions that may be greatly improved after surgery is GI disorders like acid reflux, joint pains, swollen legs/skin ulcers, depression, menstrual irregularities and infertility. Countries like India, Singapore, Malaysia offer medical tourism service that offers obesity/ weight-loss related surgeries at a far more affordable price than that available in the United States. The popularity of is on the rise since it has become the preferred mode of seeking treatment for all those patients who belong to countries where medical procedures are both expensive and difficult to access.