What to know before considering weight loss surgery
The University of Kentucky Public Relations and Strategic Communications Office provides a weekly health column available for use and reprint by news media. This week’s column is by Joshua P. Steiner, M.D., director of Bariatric Surgery at UK HealthCare.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 21, 2025) — It’s a new year, which means it is time once again to make those new year’s resolutions. Resolving to lose weight and improve health is consistently one of the top resolutions people make — and by far the hardest one to stick to.
The news and social media are full of conflicting information about weight loss drugs, “miracle” supplements and strict diet and exercise plan. Maybe you tried them all with varying results, and now you are ready take control of your health and improve your quality of life. Could weight loss surgery be the right choice for you?
Weight loss surgery, also called bariatric surgery, goes far beyond helping people look good — it is also a way to feel better, get healthier, and improve quality of life. Weight loss surgery can have many life-changing benefits, including:
- Enhanced quality of life
- Improved ability to accomplish activities of daily living
- Improved management or resolution of conditions such as diabetes, depression, obstructive sleep apnea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and fatty liver disease
- Reduced joint pain and osteoarthritis
- Improved issues related to infertility
- Decreased risk of certain cancers
There are several weight loss surgical procedures, but the two most common are gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy. Both procedures are minimally invasive and require only small incisions.
In a gastric bypass procedure, surgeons create a small pouch in the upper part of the stomach. Food goes from the pouch to the small intestine, bypassing most of the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. This small pouch reduces the amount of food you can eat, as well as the amount of nutrients your body absorbs. This procedure has the potential to resolve Type II diabetes.
A sleeve gastrectomy involves the removal of about 75% of the stomach, leaving a small tube or “sleeve” the size of a banana. A smaller stomach reduces the amount of food you eat and causes hormonal changes that help with weight loss.
To be considered a candidate for weight loss surgery, patients must have a body mass index (BMI) of 35 with other conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea, or a BMI of 40 without those conditions. Candidates will need to be able to walk 50 yards unassisted to ensure they are healthy enough for the surgery and recovery and will also engage in pre-surgery counseling to discuss diet and exercise plans. They may be required to complete other therapies such as mental health therapy and smoking cessation. These requirements are intended to help you achieve the best possible weight-loss outcomes after surgery.
All surgeries carry the potential for risk and complications; talk to your primary care provider and bariatric surgeon about what to expect before and after the procedure. Be sure to also contact your insurance company to verify coverage of weight loss surgery.
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center and Kentucky’s top hospital ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the health care landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.