Dr. Darrin Hansen, with South Valley Surgical explains some of the findings and to determine your BMI.
Doctors used to think that only patients with a higher BMI would see some of the benefits from LAP-BAND surgery. But now, the bar is being lowered and patients are able to be LAP-BAND candidates without having to be as overweight. Some of those benefits include lower cholesterol, reduction in high blood pressure, and greater management of Type 2 diabetes.
Below is a press release explaining some of the findings from the study.
Press Release
LAP-BAND Patients Lose Significantly Greater Amounts of Initial and Excess Weight Than Non-Surgical Patients
Surgical Patients Also Benefit From a Reduction in Comorbidities
MELBOURNE, Australia, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -. LAP-BAND System surgery is
significantly more effective in reducing weight and improving health and
quality of life than non-surgical weight-loss programs, according to a
study published in the May 2 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.
“This was one of the first rigorously controlled studies to measure the
impact of weight-loss surgery against traditional weight-loss methods,”
said Professor Paul O’Brien, lead investigator and Director of the Centre
for Obesity Research and Education at Monash University, where the study
was conducted. “It confirms the results of prior studies that weight-loss
surgery is superior over traditional approaches like diet and exercise
alone.”
The study showed that LAP-BAND patients lost greater amounts of weight
and saw a reduction in the metabolic syndrome, a condition in obese people
where insulin levels are too high and which puts people at greater risk of
problems such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and abnormal blood lipid
levels, than non-surgical patients-at no additional adverse risk.
This randomized, controlled study directly compared LAP-BAND System
surgery (the only FDA approved adjustable gastric banding procedure) to
traditional, non-surgical weight-loss programs in mild to moderately obese
patients. “Currently, the generally accepted practice is to perform
weight-loss surgery only on the severely and morbidly obese,” said
Professor O’Brien. “But these positive results suggest that physicians
should re-examine the guidelines for weight-loss surgery to determine if
they should be expanded to include mild to moderately obese patients.”
The study was designed to assess whether surgical therapy for moderate
obesity achieves better weight loss, health and quality of life than
non-surgical therapies. At two-years, surgical patients had lost an average
of 20.5 kg (45.1 lbs) or 21.6 percent of their average initial body weight.
This weight loss was equal to 87.2 percent of the surgical group’s excess
body weight at the beginning of the study. The non-surgical group had lost
an average of 5.3 kg (11.66 lbs) at two years, or 5.5 percent of their
average initial body weight. This weight loss was equal to 21.6 percent of
their excess weight at the beginning of the study.
In addition to losing weight, the metabolic syndrome was significantly
more likely to be resolved after two years in the surgical group than the
non-surgical group. At the start of the study, metabolic syndrome was
present in 38 percent of members of the surgical and non-surgical groups.
At the end of the study, only 3 percent of laparoscopic adjustable gastric
banding patients and 24 percent of non-surgical patients presented with
metabolic syndrome.
While both groups reported improvements in quality of life,
participants who received the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band reported
greater improvements.
“With the LAP-BAND System, there is now a safer, less invasive and more
acceptable surgical option for weight loss, and we have demonstrated that
it is a powerful tool in reducing the dangerous and costly effects of the
metabolic syndrome,” said Professor O’Brien.
Obesity is an important global health problem with a prevalence of more
than 20 percent among the adult population in Western countries and more
than 30 percent in the United States. It is estimated that there are more
than 300 million obese people worldwide.(1,2) The increasing prevalence of
obesity is associated with a parallel increase of numerous obesity-related
diseases.
Additional Study Results
* The extent of weight loss was equal for both groups at 6 months, but
then the non-surgical group regained weight that had been lost while
surgical patients continued to lose and were continuing to lose through
the study’s conclusion.
* The average surgical patient’s body mass index (BMI) went from 33.7 at
the beginning of the study to 26.4 after 2 years. The non-surgical
group’s BMI was reduced from an average of 33.5 at the beginning of the
study to 31.5 at the study’s conclusion.
Study Methodology
Investigators at Monash University’s Centre for Obesity Research and
Education randomized 80 mild to moderately obese adults (BMI of 30-35) to
either a traditional, non-surgical medical weight-loss program or bariatric
surgery. The non-surgical program was physician directed and consisted of
behavioral modifications, a very low calorie diet and pharmacotherapy with
orlistat plus education and professional support regarding appropriate
eating and exercise behavior. The surgical group received the laparoscopic
adjustable gastric band (LAP-BAND System, Inamed Health) procedure
performed by standardized method by two experienced surgeons within one
month of randomization. During the surgery, the surgeons inserted an
inflatable band around the upper part of the patients’ stomachs to create a
small pouch limiting the amount of food consumption, which creates a
feeling of fullness, resulting in weight loss.
ABOUT MONASH UNIVERSITY
Monash University is one of Australia’s largest and most
internationalized universities. It is highly regarded for its innovative
approach to teaching and research. The university has more than 52,000
students from over 100 countries. It has six campuses in Australia as well
as campuses in South Africa and Malaysia. It also has centers in London and
in Prato in Italy.
For more information, you can contact South Valley Surgical at www.svsurgical.com or you can call them at (801) 571-9511. They are located in Sandy, just south of the Alta View Hospital.
Add comment