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Weight-loss surgery may reduce the risk of life-threatening conditions

Health

Weight-loss surgery may reduce the risk of life-threatening conditions

Obesity contributes to a host of health problems from breast cancer and heart disease to sleep apnea and Type 2 diabetes. The good news: Weight-loss surgery can help reduce or eliminate many health risks.

A collection of nearly four dozen studies covering nearly 27,000 patients found that people who had weight-loss surgery reported a significant improvement in their quality of life compared to patients who attempted weight loss by only altering their diet and lifestyle.

“Weight-loss surgery has become a vital approach to helping patients achieve long-term weight loss when other conservative methods have failed,” says Dr. Sara Shields Tarwater, a board-certified, fellowship-trained bariatric surgeon at Tidelands Health.

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In addition to weight loss, patients who have weight-loss surgery may also experience an array of other health improvements, including:

    • Improved heart health: Weight loss decreases the risk of heart disease and stroke and reduces the risk of dying from high blood pressure or heart attack. Blood pressure tends to return to a normal range after successful weight-loss surgery.
    • Improved Type 2 diabetes: Weight loss has been shown to be highly effective at eliminating the insulin resistance that comes with obesity, ultimately freeing patients from the need for insulin and related medicines.
    • Improved sleep: Up to 85 percent of people who have weight-loss surgery report they no longer suffer with sleep apnea or require a CPAP machine to sleep.
    • Reduced joint pain: Obesity puts stress on weight-bearing joints such as the knees and hips. Losing weight relieves that stress, reduces the need for pain medications and improves mobility.

Tidelands Health offers two types of weight-loss surgery: sleeve gastrectomy, also known as gastric sleeve, and gastric bypass. Both procedures are designed to shrink the size of the stomach, so patients feel full sooner. In addition, weight-loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, changes the actions of certain hormones, so patients feel less hungry.

At Tidelands Health, robotic-assisted surgery allows surgeons to use smaller incisions with more precision than traditional surgical approaches.

“Overall, weight-loss surgery can lead to significant improvement in patients’ lives,” Dr. Shields Tarwater says.

Dr. Sara Shields Tarwater provides surgical care and bariatric surgery including laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, hernia repair and anti-reflux surgery.

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