As a surgeon specializing in laparoscopic bariatric surgery for weight loss, William Graber, MD, probably sees greater medical, physical and emotional improvements in his patients than any other surgeon, and that, he says, is why he keeps doing what he does.
Of course, ask any dedicated physician why he or she practices medicine and you’ll probably get a similar answer, but with Dr. Graber’s patients it’s obvious on the surface, since it is common for his patients to lose at least 75 percent of their excess weight, which could be more than 100 pounds. This leads to profound health benefits.
The toll that the morbidly obese pay for carrying that much excess weight is costly. Take diabetes—80 percent of diabetics are overweight or obese. An 11- to 18-pound weight gain doubles a person’s likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes. The obese often develop high blood pressure and an increased risk for stroke and heart attack. Obesity also tends to bring with it higher levels of lipids — fatty substances like cholesterol and triglycerides — in the blood. Both substances can lead to atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries and, eventually, heart attacks and stroke. There’s also a greater tendency for liver and kidney disease. Perhaps the most staggering statistic is that obesity is responsible for an estimated 300,000 premature deaths each year in the United States alone.
The problem is still growing. According to data released in January by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 34 percent of Americans are classified as obese (a body mass index greater than 30) and about 4 percent, Dr. Graber says, are morbidly obese with a BMI of 40 or higher.
“Obesity and the health problems that go with it are at record levels in the U.S.,” Dr. Graber says, “and right now bariatric surgery is the only way to help the morbidly obese successfully lose weight, keep it off and improve their overall health.”
