The Top Weight-Loss Surgery Procedures—Ranked and Demystified

Gastric sleeve surgery

This is the most commonly performed weight loss surgery today largely because it’s the most effective with the lowest risk of complications, says Shawn Garber, MD, a bariatric surgeon in Roslyn Heights, NY and the founder of the New York Bariatric Group. Sleeve surgery accounted for more than 58 percent of total weight loss surgeries in 2016, up from just shy of 18 percent in 2011, according to American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) data.

What’s involved? “We go in laparoscopically through five tiny incisions or a single incision in the belly button and cut out 70 to 80 percent of the stomach so that it looks like a sleeve,” says Dr. Garber. “You feel full quicker, and there are marked decreases in levels of ghrelin, also known as the hunger hormone,” he says. “My patients are simply not hungry and have to remind themselves to eat.”

Benefits: “You can lose up to 70 percent of your excess weight in a year,” Dr. Garber says. There are also improvements, if not reversals, in some of the conditions linked to obesity such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. Still, “surgery is just a tool, not a cure.”

Cost: Around $10,000. Your insurer may cover some of the costs of sleeve surgery.

Some things to know about weight-loss procedures in general: They carry the typical surgical risks of excessive bleeding, infection, blood clots, and a potentially bad reaction to anesthesia. In addition, the nature of the surgery can lead to gallstones, hernia, and stomach perforation. And most of the operations are considered malabsorptive surgery—they block the absorption of certain foods and nutrients, resulting in significant shortfalls. As a result, you will need nutritional supplements for the rest of your life, possibly including vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and folate.

To qualify for these procedures, you must have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater, be roughly 100 pounds overweight, or have a BMI of at least 35 and one or more obesity-related issues, such as diabetes or high cholesterol. In case you’re wondering, here’s what you need to know about BMI.

The post The Top Weight-Loss Surgery Procedures—Ranked and Demystified appeared first on Reader's Digest.

from Diet & Weight Loss – Reader's Digest http://ift.tt/2rfLx9Z