Obesity is among one of the world’s most prevalent, yet preventable diseases. Across the country more and more individuals are becoming overweight, and this excess weight often causes a host of other illnesses. For example, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even certain forms of cancer could develop due to health complications prompted by obesity. However, today there are treatment options available for those seeking to improve their health and lose weight, including Lap Band surgery.
In Salt Lake City, Lap Band surgery is a popular and effective tool that is helping people to combat the obesity epidemic. Weight loss surgeries like the Lap Band procedure, gastric bypass or duodenal switch operation can not only help in boosting the health of a patient, but self-esteem as well.
Of course, health is the most important issue when talking about the condition of obesity and its side-effects. In a recent study published by JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, over a period of years it was found that most patients who had undergone weight loss surgery managed to lose and keep off around 16 to 23 percent of their original body weight, while those who lost weight without surgical intervention continued to remain at roughly the same weight.
Paying Attention to Your Weight is a Big Health Concern
Over two thirds of adults in America are overweight. Most of us know that it’s not healthy to carry around extra pounds, yet our lifestyles frequently don’t include habits such as eating healthy foods, monitoring our weight and staying active.
Being overweight comes with the threat of many different health conditions. Carrying around those extra pounds can increase your chance of developing coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, respiratory problems and osteoarthritis. Obesity is associated with some types of cancer and is implicated in the higher risk of sudden death seen in obese individuals.
Along with the health consequences of being overweight there are a myriad of social and career implications as well. Health care professionals have identified biased attitudes and behavior toward obese patients that include negative perceptions and damaging stereotypes that overweight people are less intelligent, unsuccessful and lazy. In many areas of daily life, people struggling with obesity face the added burden of prejudices that interfere with even the simplest interactions with other people.
Paying attention to your body mass index (BMI) is a first step toward controlling your obesity related risks. Your weight goal should be to maintain a body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9. This is considered to be a normal BMI and typically indicates someone of ideal weight.
For obese people, losing weight and lowering your BMI is essential to reducing weight related health problems. Improving your health can lead to much more than short-term weight loss. A healthy lifestyle awaits you, and weight loss surgery can help.