The latest researches show that patients who underwent weight-loss surgery gain lots of health improvements such as heart failure and general quality of life.

Doctor Francisco Lopez-Jiminez said that if there aren’t any contradictions for the procedure, the bariatric surgery may become part of the treatment of patients with HF and obesity.

13 patients, aged 44 to 64, who underwent bariatric surgery between 1990 and 2005 took part in the research. They were compared to the six HF patients, aged 52 to 72, who did not receive the surgery.

The group that received the surgery, had the BMI of 53, whereas the other one – 42. 4 years after the procedure, the BMI in the surgery group went down to 37 and rose in the comparison group to 45.

All patients took part in a survey, in which they said that quality of life improved significantly after the weight-loss surgery, compared with the HF patients who did not undergo it. Researchers also examined symptoms such as swelling in the legs and labored breathing during exercise and found out that they improved only in the surgery group.

Doctor Lopez-Jiminez said the results should be taken into account very cautiously as only 13 patients took part in the study and further research is needed.

It turns out that cardiologists, despite one-third of HF patients being obese, do not tent to refer obese patients with HF for bariatric surgery.

The results of the study were presented in American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2010.

According to the latest BBC News report within the last three years the number of obesity surgery patients tripled in Bristol.

Surgeon Justin Morgan explained that even though the obesity epidemic started in the USA, it spread to Europe, including UK. All weight-loss surgery patients had tried other, more conventional methods in order to lose weight. All of them failed to achieve their goal.

Obesity-related health problems cost society a lot of money. Not only must those patients be hospitalised on regular basis, in many cases, but also take medications, and are on social benefits as they cannot work.

“Weight-loss surgery is not about cosmetic surgery but resolving people’s illnesses and getting back to normal health which saves the health service money,” Dr. Morgan adds.

Weight-loss surgery is not a miracle cure, though. It is only a tool that helps patients to change their life, their relationship with food, change their diet and introduce physical activity into their daily routine. Start a new life with a lighter body.

Weight-loss might be a very difficult experience. Nate Newton tried virtually everything in order to shed excessive weight. Unfortunately the results were poor. That’s why he decided to go for a weight-loss surgery.

He underwent vertical gastrectomy which is similar to stomach staple. Unlike stapling, though, up to 75 % of the stomach is detached along with staple. The surgery leaves behind a smaller stomach similar to sleeve of a shirt.

The surgery was successful for Nate. He managed to lose about half of his weight only six months afterwards. His life changed completely. He is now able to do simple things he used to have problems with before the procedure. He said the difference is incredible. His friends don’t recognise him now and are stunned by the way he looks.

Nate himself says it is not just the surgery that changed his life. In order to succeed, he changed his life-style completely, eats healthily now and introduced the physical activities in his daily routine.

Weight-loss surgery gains its popularity, also in Scotland. In the town of Lothian one patient a week undergoes this life-changing procedure.

Last year 48 patients underwent the surgery. In comparison – only 22 patients had the bariatric surgery in year 2008 and 10 in 2007. The reasons of that situation are complex. Increasing obesity is mainly caused by our diet full of fats and sugars, and lack of physical exercise.

There are obviously both critics as well as enthusiasts of the gastric bypass. Enthusiasts say the surgery not only reduces the patient’s excess weight but also cures many health problems. Opponents, on the other hand, reckon that healthy life-style should be introduced to the society at early age to promote good diet and exercise, in order to avoid excessive fatness.

Doctors highlight that patients should learn not only how to lose weight but also how to maintain it while leading a healthy life-style. They also say that for patients with obesity-related conditions, a weight-loss surgery might be the best option.

Weight-loss surgery gains in popularity not only amongst older patients. Also teenagers find this procedure appealing when other ways of weight-loss fail.

According to the latest study carried out by the American Medical Association, more and more young patients choose this way of weight-loss.

Amongst 50 patients who took part in the study, 25 of them followed a fitness program whereas the remaining group underwent a gastric banding procedure.

84% of the patients who opted for the surgery lost almost half of their weight. In the other group, only 12% of the patients were able to lose that much weight.

Dr. Robert Sawin, a surgeon in chief at Seattle Children, said the surgery might be an option for a small group of young patients but he stressed out that there are side effects, as in all types of surgeries, and that researches show one of the three teenagers who have undergone the surgery went under re-operation within two years.

Even though weight-loss surgery gains in popularity, there are still many myths about that. There are some of them:

~~ The surgery will help to shed those extra kilos. Weight-loss surgery is not to be taken lightly. It can’t be compared to a Botox injection. This kind of operation is only for those patients who weight 40 or more kilos over their ideal body weight and were unsuccessful in other weight-loss methods. Before the procedure, patients meet their doctor, talk to him, if they qualify for the surgery, they choose the best one for them. After the operation, they have to completely change their life-style and diet.

~~ Obese people are lazy and that’s why they can’t lose weight. Everyone should realise that these people, before turning to the weight-loss surgeon, have tried absolutely every diet and other possible method in order to lose weight. What’s more, they suffered an immense stress because of their weight – emotional, social and psychological.

~~ Weight-loss surgery is dangerous. Every surgery brings some risk. Bariatric surgery is not different in that. But modern technology has made these procedures relatively safe. In a study of 66,000 obese people over five years, those who underwent bariatric surgery lived longer than those who did nothing. Living being obese proved to be far more dangerous than having weight-loss surgery.

~~ Women can’t get pregnant after the surgery. Lots of obese women find it difficult to get pregnant but they find out they are fertile again after the operation. Assuming the patients don’t suffer from any health problems, they should expect a normal pregnancy and delivery. Obviously it won’t be possible straight after the procedure. Firstly, the patients should concentrate on their own weight loss, what’s more, in the first year after the surgery they don’t eat enough to be able to feed themselves and a growing fetus.

~~ You can eat whatever you want after the surgery. Other myth says you will never be able to eat a normal meal again. Neither of them is true, obviously. Patients have to change their diet, avoid fat and sugars and make sure the food portions are much smaller. They have to learn new, reasonable, healthy eating behaviours. They can go to a restaurant or enjoy a bit of a cake but just can’t eat it all themselves!

~~ The lifestyle is very restricted after the surgery. The lifestyle has to change after the surgery, this is a fact. The weight-loss surgery brings the patients dignity, self-confidence, pride. Almost all obese patients suffer from mental and physical abuse, embarrassment and humiliation in everyday life because of their weight. Society often thinks they are unworthy of love and affection because of their weight.

Weight-loss surgery is not a magic wand. It is just a tool. Patients will get as much out of it as much they want to put in.

Obesity is one of the biggest problems in the society today. The causes of this problem vary but people become more and more aware that obesity is a source of numerous health problems and can cause pre-mature deaths.

People have got different reasons for weight loss. The reason doesn’t matter that much. What matters is how they approach the whole process. The most important thing is to lose weight in a healthy way.

In some cases weight-loss is not that complicated and does not require much time or effort. For some people it is enough to just burn more calories that they intake. This forces the body to burn its fat stores but allows normal functioning. It is very important to consume food consciously. Reading food labels might seem complicated at the beginning but it’s good to get used to it and it allows to choose the foods that are better for your body. Eating calories that your body will store does not make much sense. It’s much better to choose the ones that your body will use.

While reading the labels, make sure the foods you buy don’t contain high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. Also avoid trans fats. Even if you’re used to buy some foods, try to change them for the healthier ones. You might not notice a big difference at first but after some time you’ll notice that your body has a better reaction to these foods.

For even better results in weight-loss, it’s good to speak to a doctor or nutritionist who will teach you how many calories your body should burn every day.

Other thing worth considering is to join a support group. You can do it via internet, if you want. You will then meet people facing similar problems. It will become like losing weight in a group, which in general gives better results than just on your own. Other people might inspire you to try something you have never heard of, give you some helpful tips that might work for you.

The key to success is to come at it with the right attitude and to keep yourself motivated so that you don’t give up. Then you are more likely to stick with what you are doing and complete your task.

Weight-loss surgeries are in general very efficient. Unfortunately, those who expect fast effects, will be disappointed. Patients, who decide to go through gastric bypass or other type of weight-loss procedure, have to be aware that this is a serious decision and, if they want to succeed, they have to change their life-style for good.

Weight-loss surgery is growing in popularity. A recent British Medical Journal report found the number of people in England undergoing the surgery on the NHS had increased from 238 a year to more than 2,543 in 2007.

The situation in many countries shows the growing need for the said procedures. In Scotland, for example, about 40% of the population who have a BMI over 35 are both eligible and want to undergo the surgery (that’s around 24,000 people). Only 300 procedures a year are available and only half of them are available on the NHS.

The Severe and Complicated Obesity Treatment Service (SCOTS) is the group who analysed this problem. It was led by Duff Bruce, a bariatric surgeon who is of the opinion that bariatric surgery is the only effective long-term treatment that cures both obesity and related diseases.

All weight-loss surgeons agree that patients have to change their life-style completely, after the procedure. They have to get used to a different way of eating. Firstly, only fluids can be consumed, then soft foods, then the foods they’ll eat for life. But those differ from what they used to eat. The food has to be low in sugar and fat but high in proteins. Patients can only consume between 600 and 1.000 calories a day, but make sure they have 70g of proteins. In this way their meals are really nutritious.

Patients who underwent the surgery confirm that changing the way of eating is not easy. Most of them say they thought the weight-loss procedure is the most difficult part. But it’s not. It’s only the tool, the beginning of a new, healthy way.

The after-surgery support plays an important part for each patient. There always will be days when they’ll need some advice, help, someone to assure them it’s normal what they’re going through. With the internet it’s become so much easier. Patients can join an online support group or search for nutritious recipes. Getting back to the old habits is very easy. It’s very important to have someone to turn to in a worse moment, someone who’ll help you to follow your new life.

People with HIV can undergo a weight-loss surgery, such as gastric bypass or gastric banding, the latest study shows.

Bariatric surgery can be usually performed with patients with BMI (Body Mass Index) of 35 or more. The procedure consists of reducing the size of the stomach so that the patient can only consume small amounts of food.

Both, people with and without HIV, suffer from obesity. Both groups experience similar obesity-related health problems, such as sleep apnea, high cholesterol level and diabetes.

For patients with HIV, some antiretroviral medications may cause or worsen these problems. As a result, these patients may be at greater risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other obesity-related issues.

Weight-loss surgery might be an option for HIV-positive patients if other weight-loss methods are not effective.

Doctors from Indiana University School of Medicine did a research to see if the weight-loss surgery is both safe as well as effective for the patients with HIV.

The results of the study showed dramatic improvements in the weight loss, the level of cholesterol, triglyceride and blood pressure.

What’s more, after the surgery some patients were able to reduce their doses of medications for obesity-related conditions, including high blood pressure and diabetes.

There were, however, some complications after the operation. Some patients had a hernia (an organ pushing through a weak part of the abdominal wall) and needed follow-up surgery. Other had to have a second surgery for abnormal narrowing of the digestive tract. Still some patients developed vitamin deficiencies, which is a common problem in people who undergo bariatric surgery.

The researchers also examined whether bariatric surgery would affect how much of the antiretroviral drugs were absorbed by the stomach after surgery.

The conclusion was that the surgery did not make any changes to antiretroviral regimens or dosing.

The researchers concluded that bariatric surgery may be an effective and reasonable treatment for obesity in patients with HIV but they also highlighted that more studies need to be carried out in order to determine the complications from the procedure.

Surgical Innovations, the Keyhole surgery specialists, invite for more weight-loss surgeries.

Nick Finer, professor of obesity medicine at University College of London, reckons that this is much more effective way to lose weight than dieting. Another argument is that if the NHS funded more procedures, it would save money in the long term.

Specialists highlight that obesity is both physical as well as mental condition, and they both need help.

In the US about 60 million people are affected by obesity. Only 250 thousand weight-loss surgeries take place every year. Obesity is believed to be one of the main causes of premature death.

Last year in the UK, LogiFlex was introduced. LogiFlex uses pioneering technology to help surgeons fit gastric bands or undertake bypass surgery.

Surgical has just revealed the 256% increase in pre-tax profits for the last six months. The reason of the increase was said to be the use of the “Resposable instruments, which combine disposable and reusable instruments”.

Weight-loss surgery still causes controversy in same cases but, as studies show, has got enormous benefits.