Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 26: Obesity surgery (bariatric) or weight loss surgery is a viable option for patients suffering from severe obesity with or without co-morbidities.
According to Dr Pradeep Chowbey, Vice-Chairman, Max Super Speciality Hospital, an increasing number of studies are now showing the role of obesity surgery in the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. “What obesity surgery (bariatric) does, is to put diabetes in remission. This means that it brings glucose to normal levels in the body and arrests the progression of the diabetic complications and gives the body a chance to repair the damage caused by the insulin by remaining outside of the cells,” he explained.
However, Dr Chowbey said, a Type 2 diabetes patient in India will consider obesity surgery only after he has exhausted his medication and insulin intake options. “These options do not put diabetes in to remission and often come with long term complications and based on my practice, I would suggest that obesity surgery (bariatric) should be undergone by a Type 2 diabetes patient at the early stage of his disease in order to avoid the complications of diabetes” he added.
In order to skirt around the pre-conceived notions of weight loss surgery and have them crumble with time, Dr Chowbey drew attention towards some important facts. “The Body Mass Index (BMI) is used to measure obesity. A person with BMI more than 32.5 is obese. Health Ministry guidelines exist in India with regard to obesity surgery (bariatric). According to them, a person with a BMI of 32.5 and above and suffering from co-morbidities is recommended to undergo this surgery. A person with a BMI of 37.5 and above with or without any comorbidities must also consider the option,” he explained.
Dr Chowbey informed that the International Diabetes Federation also states that Obesity (bariatric) surgery is an accepted option in people who have type 2 diabetes and BMI of 32.5 or more not achieving recommended treatment targets with medical therapies, especially with other major co-morbidities.
“Whereas the surgeons in India are increasingly gaining expertise on the subject, the public has been lagging behind in catching up to it. So, on this World Anti-Obesity Day let’s look at this new trend and consult our surgeons for more knowledge about it and protect ourselves from the perils of obesity,” he suggested and gave example of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and his weightloss journey.
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