Bariatric Surgery
Bariatric surgery includes a variety of procedures performed on people who are obese. Long term weight loss through the standard of care procedures is largely achieved by altering gut hormone levels responsible for hunger and satiety, leading to a new hormonal weight set point. Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment causing weight loss and reducing complications of obesity. As of October 2022, the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity recommend bariatric surgery for adults with a body mass index >35, regardless of obesity-associated conditions, and recommend considering surgery for people with BMI 30.0-34.9 who have metabolic disease. Bariatric surgery can have significant health benefits. Long-term studies from 2009 show the procedures result in significant long-term loss of weight, recovery from diabetes, improvement in cardiovascular risk factors, and a mortality reduction from 40% to 23%.
