Obesity: Treatment Options for this Worldwide Epidemic

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Medically Reviewed On: November 06, 2006


Obesity: Treatment Options for this Worldwide Epidemic

If you suffer from obesity, you are not alone. Obesity rates have skyrocketed in recent years, to the point at which healthcare experts now classify the disease as an epidemic. "The prevalence is rising dramatically, not just in the United States but worldwide," says Dr. John Olsofka, a general and bariatric surgeon in Louisville, Ky.

Currently, more than 300 million people worldwide are considered obese. In the United States, one in four adults, or more than 50 million people, are obese. That means their body mass index (BMI) is between 30 and 34.99. Twenty percent of these people, or about 8 million Americans, are considered morbidly obese, meaning their BMI is 40 or higher.

Obesity is a chronic disease with serious consequences. It has been linked to more than 2.5 million deaths annually. And it is the cause of multiple diseases, referred to by doctors as co-morbidities. Some, like hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease, joint pain and sleep apnea, are directly related to obesity. Certain cancers, depression and dermatological problems have also been associated with it.


Losing excess weight makes a big difference in reducing co-morbidities. In many cases, existing diseases will improve or the risk of developing a disease will be reduced when the obesity is reversed. Diabetes is also a major concern among obese patients, which is why Olsofka says that "we tell our patients that with successful weight loss, long term, the majority will have improvement in their diabetes and a significant portion will get off medication."

Losing the Weight

The best approach to weight loss is a program that includes healthy eating, exercise, behavioral modification and if necessary, drug therapy. But these programs have not proven successful for everybody. "It's amazing when patients give us a history of what they have tried," says Olsofka. "Often they have made extensive and multiple attempts throughout their lives."

Weight-loss surgery is a proven, effective way to help people not only lose the weight, but maintain the weight loss for the long term. Doctors and patients are recognizing the benefits, and the introduction of safer, less-invasive procedures explain why the number of weight-loss surgeries performed in the United States grew by 450 percent from 1998 to 2002.

Surgical Options

There are different types of weight-loss operations, but the two most common are adjustable gastric banding and gastric bypass.


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