A recent study has shown that men who are obese at age 20 are twice as likely to die at a relatively young age. The International Congress on Obesity in Stockholm, Sweden conducted research on roughly 5,500 men between the ages of 20 and 80; the 1,930 participants who were obese at age 20 died an average of eight years earlier than their counterparts who were not obese at age 20. This information can be very troubling to many people in North Carolinaa"as 29.4% of the state's population is obese according to 2010 dataa"yet there is hope for many of these people in the form of gastric bypass and lap band surgery.
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure is the most commonly performed weight loss surgery. With this surgery, the stomach is reduced to less than two ounces and attached to the Roux limb of the intestine. This reduces the amount of food the patient can eat and reduces the amount of calories the stomach absorbs. Within the first year, most patients lose three fourths of their excess body weight within the first twelve months after surgery.
The laparoscopic gastric band surgery, sometimes called lap band surgery, is the second most frequently performed bariatric procedure. A surgeon performing this procedure will install a LAP BAND or Realize Band around the top of the stomach. This adjustable band restricts the amount of food the patient is able to eat. Lap band weight surgery can be performed as an outpatient procedure and the patient can typically leave the hospital in less than 24 hours.
"[The study] is another wake-up call," says George L. Blackburn, MD, PhD, associate director of nutrition at Harvard Medical School, "On top of all the problems that the obese have, obesity doubles your risk of death if you are obese at age 20." Those in North Carolina who have a body mass index higher than 40 should speak with a bariatric surgeon to learn what options exist for them. Any concerns and questions about lap band or gastric bypass surgery can be addressed at an educational seminar.
