The Effectiveness of Bariatric Surgery for Weight Loss in Morbidly Obese Young Adult Patients

Obesity is a worldwide issue that contributes to the development of many diseases including diabetes mellitus type 2, heart disease, and certain cancers1. By 2030 an estimated 38% of the world’s adult population will be overweight (BMI\u3e25) and another 20% will be obese (BMI≥ 30)1. Many of those individuals may fall into the morbidly obese category which is defined as 100 pounds over his/her ideal body weight, has a BMI≥ 40 or more, or ≥35 and experiencing obesity-related health diseases. Fortunately, several approaches to managing obesity are currently available. Some of the more popular methods include pharmaceutical therapy and lifestyle modifications such as diet and exercise. While lifestyle modifications are essential for losing weight, some people find it extremely difficult to lose weight with lifestyle changes alone. Moreover, morbidly obese patients may have difficulty both with initiating lifestyle changes and maintaining weight loss. Therefore, surgical intervention may sometimes be required to aid in weight loss for certain individuals. The two most common bariatric surgery procedures are Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) and Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG). Whether one procedure is more effective for weight loss has been debated for years. It is important that patients know the benefits and disadvantages of the two procedures so that they can prevent adverse outcomes. Several studies have addressed the short and mid-term effects (1-3 years) of both procedures but few have addressed long-term effectiveness (≥ 5 years). The purpose of this inquiry is to determine if gastric bypass or gastric sleeve is more effective for producing weight loss at five years in morbidly obese young adults