Morbid obesity and bariatric surgery

In Australia, a recent report estimates that approximately 60% of adults, aged 25 years and over, are overweight or obese. Weight gain develops when the energy supplied from the food and drink you consume is greater than the energy your body needs for physical activity and other metabolic processes. Find out more about causes of overweight and obesity.

What is morbid obesity?

Obesity becomes 'morbid' when it reaches the point of significantly increasing the risk of one or more obesity-related health conditions or diseases that can result either in significant physical disability or even death. Read more about the health risks of morbid obesity and assess if you are morbidly obese.

Treatment options for weight loss

For anyone who has considered a weight loss program, there is certainly no shortage of choices. Most non-surgical weight loss programs are based on some combination of diet / behaviour modification and regular exercise. However, surgical procedures, such as gastric banding, have shown the best long-term results in dealing with obesity.

How does surgery reduce weight?

Today, there are two basic approaches that weight loss surgery takes to achieve change: Restrictive procedures that decrease food intake, and malabsorptive procedures that alter digestion, thus causing the food to be poorly digested and incompletely absorbed so that it is eliminated in the stool.

Laparoscopic gastric banding in a nutshell

A restrictive surgical procedure in which a low-pressure soft band is placed around the upper most part of the stomach using laparoscopic or keyhole surgery. This band forms the stomach into two sections, with a small opening between the sections allowing food to pass through. Food collects quickly in the small upper section causing patients to feel full faster and eat less. More information is available here.

Risks of Surgery

You should understand that surgery is not a quick fix. It is always associated with at least some degree of risk. It is important that you read and understand the complications and risks page on this site.