There are many reasons why adults may steadily become overweight. And while these reasons range from having a sedentary lifestyle to not having access to nutritious foods, it should be noted that as long as you ingest more calories than you burn, you are at risk of obesity. The moment your weight starts to harm your overall health, you should start deliberating on the weight loss options available to you before you develop a chronic illness. And once such option is gastric bypass surgery.
Although it is not new to the market, it seems that interest in this procedure has vastly increased over the years as more and more people start considering it a viable answer to their weight problems. But before you schedule an appointment with a medical professional, you must know what to expect. The following article serves as an introduction to the fundamentals that you should know regarding gastric bypass surgery.
Are there different types of gastric bypass surgery?
The answer is yes. Generally, there are two main options that you can choose from. The first, and the one most people are familiar with, is surgery to reduce the size of your stomach. This procedure works to help you consume less food yet you will not have to worry about feeling hungry, as a smaller stomach will require less food to feel satiated. The second is surgery to transform your small intestine so that it will not absorb an excessive amount of calories. Hence, you end up losing weight.
Moreover, there are various ways that gastric bypass surgery can be performed. The traditional option is open surgery where the surgeon will need to access your stomach or small intestine by cutting through your abdomen. This procedure will almost always result in a scar. The new-age method is referred to as laparoscopic surgery, whereby the surgeon will make tiny cuts that facilitate the insertion of a camera so that they can see what they are doing. This solution is non-invasive and does not result in excessive scarring. Nonetheless, it does cost much more than its traditional counterpart does.
What are the health benefits of gastric bypass surgery?
Arguably, the foremost advantage of undergoing gastric bypass surgery is to get the opportunity to lose a considerable amount of weight. But what you may not know is that it can offer some patients supplementary health benefits. For instance, if your weight gain resulted in sleep apnea, this procedure will help reverse that.
Alternatively, if you have been recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and undergo gastric bypass surgery in the short term, the procedure can help you achieve remission. Other health benefits of a gastric bypass procedure include decreased high blood pressure as well as relief from joint pain.
