Alternatives for the Lap Band

?Because obesity can cause or contribute to numerous health problems including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and heart disease, many severely overweight people feel it is worth the risk to undergo stomach reduction procedures in lieu of less invasive methods of weight loss.

Lap band surgery is an increasingly popular method of extreme weight loss involving the reduction of the size of the stomach through placement of a band around the stomach to restrict food intake. Surgery is accomplished through use of laparoscopic tools, requiring three or four smaller incisions, rather than the original method of one large incision.

The most common alternative to lap band surgery is gastric bypass, which creates a smaller stomach by bypassing several feet of small intestine and connecting it to a lower section, resulting in less absorption of food. Generally, gastric bypass is recommended for patients with a body mass index above 40, or those considered morbidly obese. This method results in very rapid weight loss, rather than the slow but steady dropping of excess pounds resulting from lap band surgery.

Though often very difficult for the extremely overweight, the safest and most natural method of weight loss is the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, incorporating calorie-conscious food choices and regular exercise. Medical supervision, at least in the beginning stages and when increased exercise is involved, is critical for those needing to lose in excess of 100 pounds. Monitoring can also result in improvement in associated medical conditions, such as improvement in blood sugar levels for diabetics.

Many of those trying to lose weight turn to medications. Prescription fat blockers contain lipase, an enzyme that breaks down fat entering the intestinal tract, causing a portion to pass through the bowel system without being absorbed by the body. Fat becomes bound in a cluster which is then removed from the body. Also a perennial favorite among dieters, appetite suppressants reduce the desire to overeat by working on a portion of the brain known as the hypothalamus, which regulates appetite.