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Bariatric Surgery or Weight Loss Surgery, is today a life-saving solution.

Contrary to what many mistakenly believe, namely that it is a dangerous procedure, its risk is lower than that of operations considered “routine” surgeries. It ranges from 0.08%, when for gallbladder removal the risk is 1.1%, for a heart bypass operation it is 2.4% and for a hip operation it is 3.9%. It is obvious that a center must have specialization in bariatric surgery to have such good results.

Thus, the benefits of a laparoscopic weight loss surgery are impressive. A recent study published a few months ago in the internationally renowned medical journal Obesity by Ted Adams of the University of Utah, shows that in a total of 22,000 people, patients who underwent some type of bariatric surgery had a 43% lower risk of developing any type of cancer compared to those who did not undergo the procedure. In addition, female patients who underwent weight loss surgery had a 41% lower risk of developing obesity-related cancers such as uterine, ovarian, colon and breast cancer and a 47% lower risk of death compared to female patients who did not undergo the surgery.

The same study – which, it should be noted, concerned benefits up to 40 years after the surgery – showed a 16% reduction in deaths from any cause. This is consistent with the SOS study from Sweden (for the treatment of obesity), which showed a 23% reduction in deaths from any cause at 24 years after surgery. Also, a recent pooled study of 174,775 patients in the prestigious Lancet by the University of Singapore, showed a 49.2% reduction in the risk of death from any cause, a percentage that was even higher if the patients had diabetes at the time of surgery.

Specifically, for deaths from heart disease, “our” Nicolas Christou from McGill University in Canada had published a few years ago an 89% reduction in the risk. Many studies have also shown a large reduction in cardiovascular risk, the most recent being that of Andrew Brown from Stony Brook University in New York, where in 328,807 patients the benefit was a 50% reduction in the risk of death from heart attack and stroke.

In addition, the reduction in deaths related to diabetes, by up to 92% is very important (Ted Adams – University of Utah). Type 2 diabetes is now treated laparoscopically, when medications do not regulate it adequately and especially when it is accompanied by obesity.

We must all understand that we should not blame a fellow human being who suffers from diabetes because he ate some sweets or someone who has a heart problem because he ate at fast food. We ALL need to understand now that Obesity is a very serious disease and our fellow human beings who suffer are NOT to blame. No one chose to be seriously obese.

At the Athens Obesity Center and the Department of Bariatric Surgery of the Athens Medical Center we have weight loss solutions, personalized for each case. The treatment of obesity is vital for our entire body. That is why the various types of bariatric surgery require specialization in bariatric surgery. The Athens Obesity Center of Athens Medical Center is a Center of Excellence in Bariatric Surgery and Mr. Pappis is a Surgeon of Excellence certified by the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity

Surgical weight loss leads to the treatment of obesity. Thus, it improves and often eliminates the problems that accompany the many extra pounds, but most importantly it gives quality to the lives of those who undergo the procedure and saves their lives.