Obesity: Recent Developments: Potential Solutions

Proposed solutions for the obesity epidemic vary. They include dieting, exercise, behavioral modification, and drug treatments. For dealing with severe obesity, gastric bypass or bariatic surgery may be recommended. This procedure removes a portion of the stomach, creating a smaller pouch to which the small intestine is attached. Because the stomach is smaller, the patient is not able to eat as much, and thus loses weight over time. Surgery is always a risk, however, and the long-term health effects of gastric bypass surgery are unknown. Another surgical solution to obesity is the lap-band procedure, which implants a stomach band to limit the amount of food that can be eaten. Currently this procedure is reserved for people classified as morbidly obese, but a panel formed by the Food and Drug Administration has recommended that lap-bands also be considered for use for those categorized as obese. This change would make lap-bands available to 30 million or more Americans.