Bariatric Surgery: Pros And Cons

Obesity is one of the main health concerns among people in many developed and developing countries. It is usually caused by heavy or high consumption of energy, especially fat and sugar, but not burning it off properly. In short, unhealthy food and particular lifestyle practices will result in excessive accumulation of fat in the body.

Bariatric Surgery: Pros And Cons

This will pave the way to major health issues  like high blood pressure (hypertension), coronary artery diseases, high mortality risk, cholesterol, stroke, diabetes and the list goes on. Here is the role of bariatric surgery, which is the only available treatment for obesity. 

Bariatric Surgery also known as Weight loss Surgery

The bariatric surgery was first performed in1954, as per the reports. But the surgery was abandoned in the late 1970s considering the long term health consequences related to the surgery. The demand for weight loss surgery has increased considerably in the mid 1990s and this resulted in the infrequent use of bariatric surgery. The surgery helps in weight loss and changes the way your stomach and small intestine handles the food you eat. Once you are done with the surgery, you will feel like the stomach has become smaller, the reason is that the food you eat will not be absorbed by other parts of the stomach and intestine. So your body will not get excess calories from the food. The surgery is mainly done through two ways;

1. Open surgery- in this mode of the surgery, the surgeon will make a large surgical cut on your belly and the bypass will be done by treating on your stomach, small intestine and other organs. 
2. Using a tiny camera- here a tiny camera (laparoscope) will be used to do the surgery. The surgeon will be able to see your belly with the help of the laparoscope.

Pros of bariatric surgery

Let me explain to you some advantages of bariatric surgery.

1.  Weight loss- the most important and desired advantage of bariatric surgery is the removal of excess fat in our body, caused due to obesity and various other reasons, thus reducing the overweight that might haunt you even in your dreams. 
2. Better cardiovascular health- by reducing your weight, bariatric surgery protects your body from the risk of a stroke and any other coronary or peripheral heart diseases. Moreover, it will reduce your chances of death related to stroke or hypertension, it will help you to maintain a normal balance in blood pressure and cholesterol levels and thus helps in the overall improvement of your health.
3. Relief from depression- social stigma and imperfect body image is something that might push people suffering from obesity, to the verge of depression. You might be isolating yourself from the society and activities that you might actually enjoy, because of the excess weight in your body. Losing this excess weight can bring back you from depression and can improve your mental health. Reports suggest that people who have undergone bariatric surgery have a decrease in depression to a greater percentage.
4. Improve fertility and metabolism- if you are a person suffering from an irregular menstrual cycle, bariatric surgery can improve the menstrual cycle in women and increase fertility during the childbearing period. It will also give relief from other pregnancy-related complications, metabolic syndrome and many more health conditions.

Cons of bariatric surgery

Every coin has two sides, likewise bariatric surgery also has various disadvantages.

1. Change in eating habits- just because you have undergone weight loss surgery, it doesn’t mean that you can eat like you did before. You have to make changes in your dietary plan. This should be a long term healthy eating habit and you need to engage in regular physical activities too.
2. Gastric problems- if you are suffering from gastritis or acid reflux, you will be in trouble after the surgery because there will be an increase in  gastric symptoms after the surgery.  Nausea, vomiting and muscle aches are also the aftereffects of the surgery.
3. Long term protein- mineral deficiency- you need to consume vitamins and minerals on a long term basis to avoid other malnutrition problems. You may also need to consult the doctor regularly for a long period, to 

keep an eye on your health.

If you desperately want to lose your weight, the only existing and the most sustainable treatment option will be Bariatric surgery. As long as you are dedicated enough to practice special dietary plans, physical activities and whatever is required for the surgery, you can easily move forward with this option. Nothing is for free right, so you need to follow the advice of the surgeon before and after the surgery to get a desired result. This is not a cure or preventive measure for obesity, it is just a surgery to remove your excess weight. To keep up the weight or lose it, is your choice after all.