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May 21, 2000

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Surgery For Obesity Improves Quality Of Life

By Boggs MD

NEW YORK, Jul 08 (Reuters Health) -- Surgery designed to treat

obesity not only facilitates weight loss but also fosters overall

well being, say US researchers.

" Surgical treatment of clinically severe obesity has a profoundly

positive impact on patients' perceptions of their health status, "

according to a study published in the Journal of the American College

of Surgeons.

Prior to undergoing surgery that limits the amount of food they can

eat, extremely overweight people score themselves lower than the

average person on virtually every measure of their health status.

According to Dr. Choban and her team at the Bariatric

Treatment Centers of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio, such patients score well

below average in physical activities, social functioning, general

mental health, vitality, and overall health perception.

By the time their weights plateaued, some 18 months after surgery,

the patients had stabilized their weights at an average of 95 pounds

lighter than before surgery, losing more than 60% of their excess

weight, according to the report.

With the weight loss came improvements in every measure of well being

tested. In fact, the report indicates, physical activity, general

mental health, and overall health perception rose to levels

equivalent to national norms, while vitality and social functioning

scores actually exceeded those posted by " normal " individuals.

The magnitude of improvement in these measures was something of a

surprise to the researchers, given that the patients remained 40%

overweight at their plateaus. " Most of these patients already had

good coping mechanisms, " Choban said in an interview with Reuters

Health. " Simply removing some of the burden seems to be enough to

make a big change in their daily lives. "

" For many of them, " Choban added, " the success of losing some of

their weight proves they're not bad people who can never change. And

that makes a big difference in their self-images. "

" Gastric bypass surgery is really the gold standard of treatment for

patients who are severely obese, " she concluded. " The patients lose

weight, their health improves, and they feel better about

themselves. "

SOURCE: Journal of the American College of Surgeons 1999;188:491-497.

© 2000 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or

redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar

means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of

Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the

content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

For more news, visit the Obesity.com Newsroom.

Hope y'all see some approvals with this !