More than one-quarter of all Americans will make a New Year's resolution to lose weight and, for those that have a lot of weight to lose, the recently approved laparoscopic adjustable gastric band procedure will prove an attractive option.
When it comes to New Year's resolutions it will probably come as no surprise that losing weight is top of the list, followed closely by improving general fitness and overall health. Indeed, in January of each year more than a quarter of us resolved to lose weight.
For a growing number of people who are classed as being clinically obese the answer to their weight loss problem lies in gastric bypass surgery. One quite recent FDA approved weight-loss option, the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band procedure (LAP-BAND®), is proving particularly popular and recent statistics show that out of nearly 170,000 weight-loss procedures performed in 2005 getting on for one-third were lap band procedures.
The lap band procedure uses a laparoscope to place a silicone ring around the top of the stomach, effectively partitioning the stomach into a small stomach pouch and the larger remaining stomach section. The principle behind the lap band is simply to restrict the amount of food that patients can eat and therefore force their bodies to start using up fat reserves and thus reduce weight.
The beauty of the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band procedure is not only that it is less invasive than other forms of gastric bypass surgery, but that it is completely adjustable and can be customized to suit the needs of each individual patient. In addition, although the quantity of food that the patient can eat is reduced, no special diet is required and patients can enjoy the same foods as individuals who do not have weight-loss surgery.
In a recent study led by Paul E. O'Brien M.D., the National Medical Director for the American Institute of Gastric Banding, the lap band procedure was shown to be significantly more effective in terms of both weight reduction and an improvement in health and quality of life than non-surgical weight-loss programs. This study confirmed the findings of previous studies and showed clearly that the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band offers a successful and permanent solution for both weight-loss and health improvement for those individuals who are some 40 pounds or more overweight.
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