Obesity and Metabolic Surgery

What is Obesity?

Obesity is a condition characterized by excessive fat accumulation in people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above. Obesity can cause many health problems and can lead to serious complications such as heart diseases, diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, joint pain.

What Are the Risks Caused by Obesity?

Obesity is a serious condition that can lead to many health problems. The following are some examples of risks that obesity can pose:

• Heart disease: Obesity increases the risk of heart disease. Excess weight is associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar levels. These factors increase the risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.
• Diabetes: Obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. Overweight people tend to develop insulin resistance as a result of their body's inability to use the hormone insulin properly.
• High blood pressure: Being overweight increases the risk of high blood pressure. It can lead to serious health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.
• Sleep apnea: Obesity increases the risk of a breathing disorder known as sleep apnea. This can lead to serious health problems due to stopping or reducing breathing during sleep.
• Arthrosis: It increases the risk of obesity, joint pain and calcification. Excess weight puts undue stress on joints such as the knees, hips, and ankles, which can cause joint damage.
• Depression: Obesity can increase the risk of depression. This can cause obese individuals to experience social isolation, low self-esteem problems.

Because obesity can cause serious health problems, many people should aim to lose weight and adopt a healthy lifestyle.

What Does Metabolic Diseases Mean?

Metabolic diseases are a group of diseases that occur as a result of metabolic disorders in the body and are usually related to hereditary factors or lifestyle choices. Metabolism is how the body processes food to convert, store and use food into energy. These diseases can trigger other health problems such as high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

Some common metabolic diseases are:

• Diabetes: It is a disease in which blood sugar rises uncontrollably. There are three types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes.
• Obesity: It is a condition that occurs as a result of excess fat accumulation in the body. It can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and other health problems.
• Hypertension: It is a condition in which blood pressure is high. This can increase the risk of heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke.
• Hyperlipidemia: A condition in which there are high cholesterol or triglyceride levels in the blood. This can increase the risk of heart disease.
• Metabolic syndrome: It is a condition where several metabolic problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity coexist. This increases the risk of heart disease.

Some of the causes of metabolic diseases include lifestyle factors (nutrition habits, physical activity level), genetic predisposition and hormonal imbalances. Treatment depends on the type and severity of the disease. A healthy lifestyle (regular exercise, healthy diet), drug therapy and sometimes surgical interventions can be among the treatment methods used in the management of metabolic diseases.

What are the Risks Caused by Metabolic Diseases?

Metabolic diseases are among the important risk factors that can lead to many health problems such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, neurological disorders and even cancer. The following risks include possible health problems caused by metabolic diseases:

• Heart disease: High blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity increase the risk of heart disease. Heart disease encompasses a range of disease conditions that impair the function of the heart. These diseases include coronary artery disease, heart attack, angina, and heart failure.
• Stroke: High blood pressure can cause narrowing and blockage of blood vessels. This interrupts blood flow to the brain, increasing the risk of stroke.
• Kidney disease: High blood pressure and diabetes can impair kidney function and cause kidney disease. This disease may present as chronic kidney disease in which kidney function is gradually lost.
• Neurological disorders: High blood pressure and diabetes can cause nervous system disorders. These diseases may include Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy.
• Cancer: Some metabolic diseases, especially obesity, may increase the risk of cancer. This disease is a condition in which cells grow and multiply uncontrollably.

Risks caused by metabolic diseases can be reduced or prevented with early diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, it is important to adopt a healthy lifestyle, have regular medical check-ups, and receive appropriate treatments for the treatment of metabolic diseases.

What is Obesity Surgery?

Bariatric surgery is a set of surgical procedures performed to improve the health of overweight or obese individuals. Bariatric surgery helps improve a person's health by reducing their weight and regulating their metabolic system. In addition, bariatric surgery is used in cases where traditional methods such as diet and exercise are insufficient to achieve weight loss.

Bariatric surgery may involve different techniques such as reducing the volume of the stomach, changing the connections on the gastrointestinal tract, or both. These include various procedures such as gastric bypass, gastric balloon, gastric band, sleeve gastrectomy, and biliopancreatic diversion.

Bariatric surgery is generally recommended for individuals who have obesity-related health problems and cannot achieve results with other weight loss methods. These may include Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, heart disease, joint pain, liver disease, and depression.

Since obesity surgery is a serious surgical intervention, it requires close follow-up of a specialist surgeon and medical team in order to identify the right candidates and select the appropriate methods. Therefore, before bariatric surgery, factors such as the person's general health status, duration of obesity, age, weight and other health conditions should be considered.

What is Metabolic Surgery?

Metabolic surgery is a surgical procedure performed for obese patients with a Body Mass Index of 35 and above, for the treatment of diabetes, hypertension and other metabolic problems as well as weight loss. These processes work by reducing nutrient absorption by reducing stomach volume or reorganizing the intestines.

Metabolic surgery is different from bariatric surgery, which is done for the sole purpose of weight loss. Metabolic surgery is considered a surgical procedure for the treatment of obesity-related metabolic problems. During this process, insulin resistance and blood sugar levels are also regulated.

The most common operations of metabolic surgery are:

• Gastric Bypass Surgery: This procedure reduces the stomach volume and reduces nutrient absorption by bypassing a part of the intestine. This procedure is recommended to treat type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
• Gastric Sleeve Surgery: This procedure reduces stomach volume and causes weight loss by reducing food intake. This procedure is recommended to control insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
• Biliopancreatic Diversion: This process reduces stomach volume and bypasses part of the intestines. This procedure can cure type 2 diabetes in 95 percent of overweight patients.

Metabolic surgery is becoming more and more popular due to its effectiveness in combating obesity. However, such surgeries require serious decision and selection of an appropriate candidate. Besides its potential benefits, metabolic surgery may also bring some risks and complications. Before deciding on any metabolic surgery operation, you should meet with a surgeon and talk in detail.