Weight loss surgery works by increasing your sense of fullness after eating.2,3
Expected weight loss in one year is about 20 – 33% of your overall body weight.1
The average length of stay in hospital for patients after bariatric surgery is between 1.9 and 2.8 days, depending on which procedure patients have done.8
There are three main benefits to weight loss surgery:
- Weight loss
- Improvement in associated medical conditions
- Improvement to your quality of life.
Studies have shown that surgery leads to the greatest and most sustained weight loss outcomes of all weight loss strategies.5,9
The average weight loss 3 years after surgery is 24%. By 5 years, the average weight loss is 19%.6
Amongst people with type 2 diabetes having bariatric surgery, 31-77% achieve normal blood sugar without diabetes medication and 80% maintain good glycaemic control with reduced or no medication.10
SURGERY HAS BENEFITS BEYOND WEIGHT LOSS
Bariatric surgery has been linked to improvements in type 2 diabetes, including reduced blood sugar, reduced use of medications, and even resolution of the condition.
Other improvements that have been demonstrated include:1,10,11,12
- Cardiovascular risk factors (stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol)
- Kidney function
- Respiratory diseases such as asthma and sleep apnoea
- Reflux disease
- Health-related quality of life
As with any surgery, your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of bariatric surgery with you to be sure you understand them.
ARE THERE RISKS WITH WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY?
Consult a your doctor to seek help in working out the right treatment option for you.
IS WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY AN OPTION FOR CONSIDERATION?
REAL PEOPLE, REAL STORIES
Hear from those who have treated their obesity successfully See real stories- NH&MRC (2013) Clinical practice guidelines for the management of overweight and obesity in adults, adolescents and children in Australia. Available at https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/clinical-practice-guidelines-management-overweight-and-obesity#block-views-block-file-attachments-content-block-1, accessed September 2019.
- Dimitriadis, G. K., Randeva, M. S., & Miras, A. D. (2017). Potential Hormone Mechanisms of Bariatric Surgery. Current obesity reports, 6(3), 253–265. doi:10.1007/s13679-017-0276-5
- Batterham R.L., Cummings D.E. Mechanisms of diabetes improvement following bariatric/metabolic surgery, 2016 Diabetes Care, 39 (6), pp. 893-901.
- Pilitsi E, et al. Metab Clin Exp 2019; 92: 170–92.
- ANZOS. The Australian Obesity Management Algorithm. Available at http://anzos.com/australian-obesity-management-algorithm, accessed September 2019.
- Monash University. Bariatric Surgery Registry 2018–19 Report. Available at www.monash.edu/medicine/sphpm/registries/bariatric, accessed September 2019.
- Das B, Khan O. Int J Surg 2019; 68: 114–16.
- Ramos A, et al. The International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders Fifth IFSO Global Registry Report 2019. Available at https://www.ifso.com/pdf/5th-ifso-global-registry-report-september-2019.pdf, accessed December 2019.
- Schwartz M, et al. Endocrine Rev 2017; 38: 267–96.
- Pérez-Pevida B, Escalada J, Miras AD and Frühbeck G (2019) Mechanisms Underlying Type 2 Diabetes Remission After Metabolic Surgery. Front. Endocrinol. 10:641. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00641
- De Luca M, et al. Obes Surg 2016; 26(8): 1659–96.
- Pareek M, et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 2018; 71(6): 670–87.
- Sjöström, L. Review of the key results from the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) trial – a prospective controlled intervention study of bariatric surgery. J Intern Med. 2013 Mar; 273(3): 219–234. Published online 2013 Feb 8. doi: 10.1111/joim.12012
- Böckelman, C et al. Mortality Following Bariatric Surgery Compared to Other Common Operations in Finland During a 5-Year Period (2009–2013). A Nationwide Registry Study. 2017. OBES SURG (2017) 27:2444–2451
- AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database Australian refined diagnosis-related groups (AR-DRG) data cubes. Version 8.0, 2017-18. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/hospitals/ar-drg-data-cubes/contents/data-cubes. Accessed December 2019.
- Banka G et al. Laparoscopic vs Open Gastric Bypass Surgery Differences in Patient Demographics, Safety, and Outcomes. Arch Surg. 2012;147(6):550-556.
- Reoch J et al. Safety of Laparoscopic vs Open Bariatric Surgery – A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Arch Surg. 2011; 146 (11):1314-1322.