If a person has a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 25, it is considered overweight. A simple index of weight-for-height commonly used to classify overweight and obesity in adults is called BMI. The calculation of this is done by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by the square of his height in meters.

If there is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended, it leads to overweight. Some causes are:

  • There is an increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat.
  • There is excess physical inactivity due to various reasons.

There are various diseases that can develop due to overweight. These include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders and some cancers.

An effective treatment option for reducing overweight is bariatric surgery.

Bariatric Surgery

The operation that makes changes to your digestive system and helps you lose weight is known as bariatric surgery. It is done at many hospitals in India having world-class infrastructure and at much reasonable cost. The foreign patients get all the necessary information regarding this from the medical tourism companies in Kolkata. Your stomach becomes smaller due to some bariatric surgeries. As a result of this, you feel full sooner without eating and drinking much at one time. In some other cases, bariatric surgeries change your small intestine. It is that part of your body that absorbs calories and nutrients from foods and beverages. You should maintain a healthy diet after bariatric surgery. This may help you lose more weight and not increase weight. As per the advice of your healthcare providers, you should follow regular physical activities and a healthy lifestyle.

Types of Bariatric Surgery

In India, there are different types of bariatric surgery available. These are performed by experienced doctors. A number of patients from the developed countries of the world undergo bariatric surgery in India. If they have any query regarding the cost of the surgery and other details, the best medical tourism companies in India are always ready to help them. Some of these types are:

1. Gastric Bypass

The other term of this is Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. The doctor creates a small pouch at the top of the stomach in this procedure. The food that one eats gets stored at this portion only and this automatically restricts the amount of food one can eat. The doctor also cuts short the small intestine and connects it to the new pouch. The body absorbs fewer nutrients since the intestine through which food passes gets shorter.

2. Adjustable Gastric Band

In this procedure, the doctor wraps a band containing an inflatable balloon around the upper part of the stomach. As a result, there is the creation of a smaller stomach pouch at the top with a very narrow opening with the rest of the stomach. This leads to a significant reduction in the amount of food, although the amount of nutrients absorbed remains the same.

3. Gastric Sleeve

It is also known by the name of vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). The doctor takes out a large part of the stomach along the greater curvature. The stomach gets reduced to almost 15% to 25% of its actual size. The person feels full stomach soon after eating as a result of the reduced size. The patient also feels less hungry as there is less production of the hunger-causing hormone.

4. Duodenal Switch

There is only a small, banana-shaped stomach pouch after the doctor removes the larger part of the stomach. The small intestine is re-routed several inches down after the surgeon cuts its top. The amount of calories and nutrients absorbed gets limited because the food bypasses a major part of the small intestine.