Gastric Bypass Surgery

Obesity is becoming more prevalent, with the United States presently ranked second in the world. Obesity (according to BMI) affected 40 percent of people in the United States, according to CDC data, involving around 100 million adults. Nearly 5 percent of the people were morbidly obese (BMI greater than or equal to 40). Obesity increases the risk of developing diabetes, malignancies, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obstructive sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, acid reflux disease (GERD), osteoarthritis, and hepatic steatosis, among other comorbidities.

In 2008, the estimated yearly healthcare expenses of obesity in the United States were $200 billion, with the expense for just an obese person reaching $1,500 greater than those of a healthy weight, posing a major financial burden.   The expense of addressing obesity-related disease in the U.k. is estimated to be 6 billion euro each year, rising to 11 billion euros by 2050, according to the National Health System.

The body mass index is a measurement of a person's relative weight in relation to their height, and it has a strong relationship with total body fat.

The definition of obesity as per WHO is having a BMI of 30 or more.

Obesity can be treated with nonoperative treatment or bariatric surgery. Dietary improvements, exercise, behavioral alterations, and prescription medication are all part of the nonoperative treatment plan. For the most part, diet and physical activity recommendations have been shown to be ineffective. A cross-sectional study employing Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance on 11 thousand persons in the United States indicated that despite the majority of the population are trying to lose weight, only 20 percent successfully lower their energy consumption and exercise for 150 min on weekly basis. Pharmacological intervention has had poor long-term outcomes in weight management, with a mean weight decrease of just 4 percent observed.