Stay away from morbid obesity! Doctor: Control your body position to avoid gaining weight again

Obesity is the public enemy. For patients with morbid obesity, bariatric surgery will be the treatment of choice. A 30-year-old man named Qiu in New Taipei City weighs 110 kilograms and has a BMI of 37. He has symptoms of sleep apnea. Because he is unable to comply with the doctor's advice to wear a positive pressure breathing device, he chose to undergo a "sleeve gastrectomy" to lose weight. However, doctors remind that any weight loss surgery has its risks. Only by controlling the body posture and paying attention to a balanced diet and exercise can you prevent the risk of obesity and weight gain.

Zhang Jianhui, attending physician at the Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital's "Healthy Posture Management Center" who treated the case, pointed out that obesity is closely related to various chronic diseases, including the three high problems of high blood pressure, high blood lipids and high blood sugar, as well as fatty liver, which is common among Chinese people. In addition, sleep apnea, degenerative arthritis, and even cancer are all related to obesity.

The top 10 causes of death are mostly related to obesity

In particular, among the top 10 causes of death in Taiwan, at least 8 are related to obesity. According to statistics from the National Health Administration, as many as 1/3 of adult men and women over the age of 20 in Taiwan have a body mass index (BMI) greater than 24, which means they are "overweight", and 2% of them suffer from "morbid obesity", that is, a body mass index (BMI) greater than 35.

Generally speaking, people with a BMI between 27 and 35 are considered to be mildly or moderately obese. As long as they control their diet, exercise regularly and persevere, they can usually eliminate the annoying obesity problem. If the obesity situation persists, you can first ask your doctor for advice and take appropriate medication. If there is no result for more than half a year, you can then evaluate whether to undergo weight loss surgery.

Multiple sleeve resection for morbid obesity

Dr. Zhang Jianhui emphasized that the purpose of surgical treatment for obesity is not to lose weight, but to improve the patient's health and prolong his life. According to medical reports, the mortality rate of morbidly obese patients who have not undergone surgery is as high as 4.6% per year; for patients who have undergone weight loss surgery, the mortality rate can be reduced to about 1% per year.

Obesity is not just a problem of body shape, but a "disease" that cannot be ignored. Common weight loss surgeries include: gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, gastric band plication, gastric plication, gastric banding and intragastric balloon, etc. Every surgery has its risks which need to be carefully evaluated.

Evaluation before weight loss surgery can reduce risks

For people who are severely obese or morbidly obese, they often lack self-confidence psychologically, which reduces many social and employment opportunities. Doctors will give weight loss surgery treatment recommendations based on each person's various conditions. Among them, sleeve gastrectomy is only suitable for people with morbid obesity with a BMI of more than 37, or a BMI of more than 32 with metabolic syndrome, who have not been able to lose weight after drug treatment for more than half a year. It is not suitable for the rest of the people. .

The most important "sleeve gastrectomy" is a minimally invasive abdominal surgery that removes part of the stomach and reduces the stomach's capacity, effectively achieving the effect of lowering ghrelin hormone and losing weight. Body weight can generally be reduced by 70% to 80%. However, this surgery involves cutting the gastrointestinal tract, so people with gastric ulcers, severe gastroesophageal reflux disease, and diaphragmatic hernia are not suitable for this weight loss surgery.

In addition, although surgery may incur a total risk of about 3% bleeding, wound infection, and gastric suture rupture, most morbidly obese patients have comorbid cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which may be life-threatening. Compared with the risks of the two, surgery is still the priority consideration.

Dr. Zhang Jianhui emphasized that in order to control the body posture, in addition to seeking correct medical assistance, more importantly, it requires personal willpower. When people visit the health and body management clinic, the doctor will assess the individual's physical condition, test various biological values, and then discuss the causes of obesity with the individual and provide symptomatic treatment.

[Doctor's reminder]:

There are various methods of weight loss and body posture control available in the market. Some people try all kinds of treatments in a hurry for quick results, and may mistakenly take unapproved drugs or undergo unknown surgeries. Not only will their body posture not be improved, but it will increase the burden on the body, so they have to be more careful. At the same time, after the operation, you still need to eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly to avoid the risk of gaining weight again.