Lap Band Surgery Better Than Diet For Obese Teens

 

As if navigating the pitfalls of high school isn’t hard enough, just imagine getting through those years with severe weight issues! But there may be hope, at least for Australian students, as bariatric surgery procedures have now received support from that country’s medical community. And if the amazing results are any indication, these procedures may eventually offer salvation to the rest of the world!

Researchers at Monash University and the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne show that one specific procedure - lap-band surgery - may lead to a loss of up to 80% of excess fat in patients! In fact, the surgery’s outcomes, which were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, were shown to be much more effective for adolescents than just following severe dieting and exercise programs

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The Lap-Band Vs. "Lifestyle" Changes

For the government-funded study, the researchers observed 50 severely obese teens between the ages of 14 and 18 from May 2005 to September 2008. Half of the patients underwent gastric banding surgery, in which a silicon clamp is implanted that shrinks the stomach and reduces appetite. These patients were told to eat only three small meals and exercise for 30 minutes each day. Meanwhile, the other 25 patients remained on a strictly supervised diet and exercise regime.

It was found that those receiving the surgery lost an average of 77 pounds, which was more than 10 times the weight of the other group. Overall, after two years, those teens undergoing surgery lost an average of 79% of their excess weight, while those following just the lifestyle changes lost just 13%. It should be mentioned that six of the lifestyle group withdrew from the study after gaining weight, even though they had access to a personal trainer, physician, dietician and regular guidance.

Weight Loss Benefits, But NOT A "Quick Fix"

The bottom line? Lap-band weight loss surgery may offer remarkable benefits for weight loss for teenage patients. "While this study confirms that some adolescents can achieve substantial weight loss and health improvements through diet and exercise, gastric banding should be considered for those severely obese adolescents who find primary weight loss methods unsuccessful," stated study author Professor Paul O’Brien.

However, healthcare professionals caution that this and other procedures are not a "quick-fix" solution for weight loss, especially for younger patients.