Quick Links
About obesity
If you’ve tried everything to overcome obesity but failed, ask your doctor about long-term weight control solutions
What is obesity?
Obesity is a disease involving abnormal or excessive body fat accumulation that can cause impaired health.
The World Health Organisation estimates that more than 1 billion people world-wide are overweight, 400 million of whom are obese.1
Australia is part of this growing epidemic. Around 7 million Australian adults are overweight or obese - that’s 52% of women and 67% of men.2
Obesity surgery has helped thousands of Australians manage their weight problems and their weight related illnesses.
How is obesity measured?
Obesity is measured by the body mass index (BMI). The BMI reflects a person’s weight in comparison to their height (weight [kg] ÷ height2 [m2]) For instance, a woman who is 1.67m in height and weighs 65kg would have a BMI of 23.3, which is considered to be within the healthy weight range. A BMI of 30+ is considered obese.
| BMI | Classification |
| 18.50 and below | Underweight |
| 18.50 - 24.99 | Normal range |
| 25.00 - 29.99 | Overweight |
| 30.00 - 34.99 | Obese class 1 |
| 35.00 - 39.99 | Obese class 2 |
| 40.00 + | Obese class 3 |
To find out your BMI click here.
Risks of obesity
There are certain health risks associated with being obese. For instance, people who are obese are more at risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, some cancers (particularly bowel and hormonal-related cancers), gallbladder disease, respiratory disease, incontinence, sleep apnoea and depression.2 Obesity can also lead to skin problems, musculoskeletal (bone and tendon) problems and infertility.2
Experts estimate that between 12,000 to 17,000 Australians die prematurely from obesity each year.3 The good news is, major weight loss can lead to partial or complete control of a wide range of these diseases and related health problems.4
Weight control solutions
Non-surgical treatments
If you are overweight or obese, you may have a number of different reasons for wanting to shed excessive weight, such as getting back into sport or being able to play with your children again.
The most common weight loss approach is to eat less, eat sensibly and exercise more. Even small lifestyle changes can translate to great health benefits. However many who lose weight using these tactics quickly regain it when the diet ends, which leads to more dieting, replacing meals with special drinks or taking diet pills.
While temporary weight loss can help, the “yo-yo effect” can also make it harder to lose weight in the future. People who are clinically obese may wish to consider surgical weight control solutions when non-surgical treatments have failed.
If you have tried everything to overcome obesity but failed, ask your doctor about long-term weight control solutions.
Laparoscopic gastric banding
Laparoscopic gastric banding is the placement of a band around the top of the stomach through laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery. The gastric band is designed to induce weight loss by encouraging satiety (a sense of fullness) even without food and to restrict the amount of food that the stomach can hold before signalling it is full.
The band is made of silicone and a balloon lines the inside. An access port, connected to the band by tubing, is placed in the abdomen wall, which allows saline solution to be added or removed to change the size of the band.
As the procedure is done laparoscopically, there is no major opening of the abdomen required, no cutting or potentially permanent alteration to the stomach or intestines. It is also reversible.
Laparoscopic gastric banding has helped many people shed their excess weight. It is now the most common form of weight control surgery in Australia, with more than 90% of bariatric patients electing laparoscopic gastric banding.5
In 2005 alone, more than 6,000 laparoscopic gastric banding procedures were performed in Australia.11 Like most who suffer from obesity, these people had struggled with their weight for many years, possibly most of their lives, and tried other common weight control methods with no success. Laparoscopic gastric banding was their final option.
Generally, laparoscopic gastric banding is recommended for those over 18 years of age, who have a body mass index (BMI) of 40+, or 35+ and are suffering from problems with their obesity, and have made serious efforts to lose weight.12 If you believe laparoscopic gastric banding is a good option for you, see your doctor.
For more information on laparoscopic gastric banding click here.
Gastric bypass
Gastric bypass has been available for more than 35 years and is still a commonly-used procedure in the United States.5
The surgery is traditionally done with a long incision in the abdomen, but can also be performed laparoscopically. It involves cutting the stomach off near the top so that a smaller pouch may be made, which is reconnected to the small intestine. The procedure is essentially irreversible.5
The two commonly used gastric bypass techniques are Roux-En-Y bypass and sleeve gastrectomy.
Roux-En-Y bypass involves creating a small stomach pouch which is then attached to a Y-shaped section of the small intestine. With this method, most of the stomach and top portions of the small intestine are bypassed. This procedure reduces the absorption of nutrients and therefore calorie intake. It is done through a major opening of the abdomen, requires staples, and is irreversible.14
Sleeve (tube) gastrectomy is a newer method of gastric bypass, which removes 2/3rds of the lateral stomach to form a new tube-shaped stomach. It can be done through either open or laparoscopic surgery but it is irreversible. Sleeve gastrectomy is often used as a primary operation to further bypass procedures for super obese (BMI of 60+) people who may need more radical bypass in the future. 14
Biliopancreatic diversion
Perhaps the most radical of all weight loss surgeries, this procedure involves removing most of the stomach and connecting the new, smaller stomach to the second half of the small intestine, allowing only a small amount of absorption. While good results can be achieved with this procedure, there are serious risks of malnutrition, so it is not often performed. It also has the highest chance of fatality compared to all other forms of weight loss surgery.5
References
1. World Health Organisation (WHO). Obesity and Overweight. 2006. www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/facts/obesity/en/.
2. Australian Government, Department of Health and Ageing. About overweight and obesity. 2002. www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/health-pubhlth-strateg-hlthwt-obesity.htm.
3. Talbot ML, Jorgenson J and Loi KW. Difficulties in the provision of bariatric surgical services to the morbidly obese. Med J Aust 2005; 182: 344-47.
4. O’Brien PE, Brown WA and Dixon JB. Obesity, weight loss and bariatric surgery. Med J Aust 2005.183(6): 310-314.
5. O’Brien P. The LAP-BAND solution - a partnership for weight loss. 2007.
11. Brancatisano R. Med Obs 2006; 29-32 (1 September 2006).
12. LAP-BAND™ Adjustable Gastric Banding System. BioEnterics Corporation. 2001.
13. Chapman AE et al. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding in the treatment of obesity: A systematic literature review.
14. Obesity Surgical Options. Obesity Surgery Society of Australia and New Zealand. www.ossanz.com.au/stapling.
