The Benefits of Weight Loss Surgery

In a nutshell, weight loss surgery reduces the amount of food a person can eat. It’s not a quick fix or cheat solution and in fact, the weight loss itself begins post operation, which is why we focus on surgery being a tool to aid weight loss.

Besides losing weight and delivering an increase in your quality of life, we explore the other great benefits of weight loss surgery:

1. Long term remission of type 2 diabetes

Over the last 20 years, more medical evidence has highlighted that weight loss surgery is an effective treatment for Type 2 diabetes with studies indicating that up to 80% of obese adults with Type 2 diabetes experience a complete remission within five years after gastric bypass surgery.

In addition to the benefit of losing weight and improving blood sugar levels, weight loss surgery can assist Type 2 diabetics in managing their condition as it can.

  • Change how the hormones in your gut work, which in turn affects how your body makes insulin
  • increase the amount of bile acids that your body makes – these make your body cells more sensitive to insulin
  • improve the way the cells use insulin, leading to lower blood sugar level

2. Improved cardiovascular health

Weight loss surgery also has a positive impact on heart health. Reducing excess weight can improve blood pressure and cholesterol, which have been shown to return to normal after bariatric surgery, therefore reducing your risk of heart disease.

3. Eliminate sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterised by pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing. People who are overweight are more likely to have extra tissue in the back of their throat, which can fall down over the airway and block the flow of air into the lungs while they sleep.

Losing just 10% of body weight can have a big effect on sleep apnea symptoms. In some cases, losing a significant amount of weight can even cure the condition.

4. Enhanced self-esteem and confidence

Losing weight means you’re eating right and exercising regularly and both of these make you feel better. When your body feels good, your self-esteem naturally increases because you know you’re taking care of yourself. It also increases confidence as you become happier with your new body, and this progress motivates you to continue to lose weight.

5. Lower your risk of cancer

Fat has two main functions – it acts as a store of energy, and constantly sends messages to the rest of your body which affect things like cell growth, chemical reactions in cells, and the body’s reproductive cycles. So if there is too much fat in the body, these signals can tell our body cells to divide more often which can lead to cancer.

More than 1 in 20 cancer cases are caused by excess weight – in fact, excess weight causes more cases of certain cancers than smoking. Therefore, losing weight can significantly reduce your risk of cancer.

6. Improved fertility

In women, fat cells can produce estrogen, so if you’re overweight your body may produce excess estrogen, preventing you from ovulating regularly.  In some cases, it’s linked to polycystic ovarian syndrome, with hormonal imbalances impacting your ability to conceive.  In men, obesity is associated with lower testosterone and impaired sperm quality. Studies have shown that losing as little as 5% of body weight can dramatically improve the chances of pregnancy.

7. Eases Joint Pain

Carrying around excessive weight puts a lot of stress on your joints, often causing chronic pain and joint damage. A 2005 study in Arthritis & Rheumatism of overweight and obese adults with knee osteoarthritis found that losing one pound of weight resulted in four pounds of pressure being removed from the knees.

To learn more about how weight loss surgery could benefit you, please give Streamline Surgical a call on 0333 016 3030 or make an enquiry online.