How Effective is Obesity Surgery?
The actual weight a patient will lose after the procedure is dependent on several factors. These include:
Patient's age- Weight before surgery
- Overall condition of patient's health
- Surgical procedure
- Ability to exercise
- Commitment to maintaining dietary guidelines and other follow-up care
- Motivation of patient and cooperation of their family, friends and associates
In general, for weight loss surgery to be considered effective it should lead to an improvement in health achieved by durable weight loss that reduces life threatening risk factors and improves performance of activities of daily living.(3)
Obesity Surgery Studies
Clinical data will vary for each of the different weight loss procedures mentioned on this site. Results may also vary by bariatric surgeon. Ask your doctor for the clinical data stating their results for the procedure they are recommending.
A review of obesity surgery studies by Australian experts comparing laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, vertical banded gastroplasty and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass found all three procedures to be effective in producing weight loss in patients during the follow-up periods reported. (8)
