Innovations in Weight Loss Surgery
Are you thinking about surgical intervention to lose weight?
Before going under the knife, you should consider an innovative alternative to weight loss surgery. I call it the calorie barricade concept.
According to current National Institutes of Health (NIH) statistical surveys, 1/3 of US adults are obese.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that obesity may become the leading cause of mortality in the United States by 2005, with a death toll of 500,000 per year.
As a result, the number of weight loss surgeries like gastric banding and gastric bypass are growing at alarming rates.
Statistics from the NIH show that the number of surgeries may exceed 200,000 in the near future. Unfortunately, many people deciding to have surgery will suffer many complications and incur thousands of dollars in medical costs.
But there’s a safe and effective alternative to going under the knife.
The Calorie Barricade Concept
The calorie barricade concept was first introduced a few years ago.
Weight loss experts conceptualized placing a thin liner in the small intestine to limit calorie absorption into the blood stream. By limiting the absorption of calories, the gastrointestinal liner forces the body to burn energy stored as fat.
The gastrointestinal liner prevents food from coming in contact with the wall of the intestine. This effects the uptake of food and, thus, decreases the number of calories absorbed.
It may also have a metabolic effect that is similar to gastric bypass surgery, which produces significant weight loss and resolution of type 2 diabetes.
The major distinction from surgery is how the gastrointestinal liner is placed and removed…endoscopically.
As with many endoscopic procedures, this may provide a safer alternative with more rapid recovery and lower costs.
Potential Benefits
The gastrointestinal liner in several animal studies and a few small human clinical studies, clearly demonstrates:
1. Metabolic weight loss and control of type 2 diabetes
2. Minimizes potential for morbidity and mortality of traditional surgery
3. Is less invasive than surgical alternatives
4. Eliminates hospital stays
5. Does not decrease absorption of vitamins and minerals
What You Need To Do
Before deciding on weight loss surgery, talk with your doctor about gastrointestinal liners.
Although not yet approved by the FDA, several clinical studies are recruiting subjects to confirm the safety and effectiveness of calorie barricades.
The NIH website has a listing of all active clinical trials in the US.
Additional weight loss information can be found at the Life Extension Foundation..
