Obesity is prone to complications of diabetes, endoscopic gastric reduction surgery is a new option for weight loss! Helps lose weight and control diabetes

Taiwan’s obesity problem is becoming increasingly serious, and it has also led to more health risks caused by weight. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the top ten causes of death in China in 2020, as many as seven diseases with high mortality rates are related to obesity, such as heart disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Generally speaking, it is a consensus in the medical community that for patients with a BMI of 32.5 or above and comorbid metabolic diseases, active treatment such as weight loss surgery is recommended, and it has been included as one of the health insurance payment standards.

Dr. Andy Chang explains endoscopic gastric reduction surgery. (Photo courtesy of China Medical University Hospital)

"Endoscopic gastric reduction surgery" weight loss treatment can be completed in 1.5 hours

Ms. Li, a 32-year-old woman working in the service industry, has long suffered from weight loss and weight gain. She has tried various weight-loss methods in the past. Although she has lost a lot of weight through dieting and medication, she has gained weight again in a short period of time, and even gained as much as 5 kilograms in one month. Later, she went to the International Metabolic and Physical Medicine Center of the China Medical University Hospital for treatment. After evaluation by Dr. Andy Zhang, considering Ms. Li's busy work schedule, he recommended weight loss treatment through "endoscopic gastric reduction surgery". No additional hospitalization was required, and the treatment only took about 1.5 hours to complete. After the treatment, she could return to work the next day.

Ms. Li happily said after the treatment that she had tried too many ways to lose weight in the past but to no avail. She had always wanted to find a suitable way to lose weight, but was worried about the recovery period after the operation. She was very satisfied that she could go back to work immediately after the endoscopic gastric reduction treatment without any physical discomfort.

Through endoscopic gastric reduction surgery, the patient can lose about 20% to 25% of his weight. Another case, Mr. Li, 44 years old, suffered from diabetes due to obesity. With the help of Dr. Andy Zhang of the International Metabolic and Physical Medicine Center, he underwent endoscopic gastric reduction surgery and reduced his weight from 105 kg to 86 kg, while successfully solving the problem of diabetes.

Ms. Li underwent weight loss treatment through "endoscopic gastric reduction surgery", which did not require additional hospitalization. The treatment only took about an hour and a half to complete, and she was able to return to work the next day after the treatment. (Photo courtesy of China Medical University Hospital)

If your BMI does not meet the weight standard for weight loss surgery, you can also lose weight through gastroscopy

Dr. Andy Chang said that for people whose BMI does not meet the weight standard for weight loss surgery but are already obese, they could only be treated with internal medicine drugs in the past, but the results were often not satisfactory. However, with the advancement of medical technology, this group of patients can now lose weight through gastroscopy, using the "non-surgical, no organ cutting" technology to achieve the effect of reducing food intake and weight.

Director Huang Zhikun of the International Center for Metabolic and Physical Medicine said that the team is committed to helping morbidly obese patients return to health. In recent years, they have also been deeply involved in endoscopic weight loss treatments, such as endoscopic botulinum toxin treatment and endoscopic gastric reduction surgery. This year, Dr. Andy Chang, who specializes in endoscopic surgery in the Department of Gastroenterology, has joined the team. This will provide more diverse and complete endoscopic weight loss treatment options for people whose weight does not meet the bariatric surgery criteria or who are not suitable for weight loss through surgery, and achieve non-invasive and effective weight loss results.

Dr. Huang Zhikun reminds patients who want to undergo various weight loss methods: "Complete weight loss treatment does not only rely on the doctor's surgery and treatment techniques. The patient himself must also cooperate with the nutritionist and sports therapist to provide a good diet and exercise plan during the treatment period to achieve the goal of losing excess weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle that is not easy to gain weight again in the future!"