Gastric Bypass Surgery Statistics: Crunching Health Numbers
If you are obese and have struggled to lose weight, Tijuana Bariatrics can help. We offer a host of weight loss procedures that help you curb your appetite and experience long-term weight loss. These aren’t just bold claims either. We have the numbers to back this up.
The team at our Tijuana, Mexico practice would like to consider gastric bypass surgery. This gold standard in surgical weight loss is highly effective, and statistics show why.
Numbers on Obesity
The obesity numbers in America are rather staggering. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 36.5 percent of Americans suffer from obesity. Obesity was most prevalent among people between the ages of 40-59 years old (40.2 percent), followed by people 60 and older (37 percent), and adults between the ages of 20-39 (32.3 percent).
In terms of childhood obesity, roughly 17 percent of people between the ages of 2-19 suffer from obesity. This covers roughly 12.7 million people in that age range.
By comparison, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 13 percent of the planet’s entire population is obese. Given these numbers, you can understand why people refer to obesity as an epidemic in America.
Future Projections About Obesity
The National Heart Forum took existing obesity numbers and made some estimates based on that data. If the current model holds, roughly 50 percent of Americans will be obese in the year 2030. Those numbers are alarming given the many health risks associated with obesity.
Bariatric Surgery Numbers
When diet and exercise fail at achieving healthy weight loss, many people turn to weight loss surgery. In 2015, there were 196,000 bariatric surgery procedures performed in just the United States. The number makes sense given the rise in obesity rates in the US over the years.
Of the procedures performed, the procedure breakdown was as follows:
- Gastric sleeve (sleeve gastrectomy) - 51.7 percent
- Gastric bypass - 23.1 percent
- Gastric banding - 5.7 percent
While the second most popular surgery, the gastric bypass is particularly effective when dealing with morbid obesity and higher levels of obesity. The gastric bypass reduced the amount of food one consumes in a single sitting and also helps prevent absorption of calories during digestion. This allows for reduced calorie intake and high degrees of weight loss.
How Much Weight Is Lost Following a Gastric Bypass?
Thanks to the nature of gastric bypass surgery, patients can expect to lose around 65-70 percent of their excess body weight thanks to the procedure. Keep in mind that your excess weight is not your starting weight; excess weight is the amount of weight you need to lose to get your BMI into a healthier range.
For example, if your starting weight is 400 lbs and you carry 205 lbs of excess weight, gastric bypass surgery will help you lose around 133 lbs. Additional weight loss can be achieved through good diet and proper exercise.
Success Rates for Gastric Bypass
The success rates of gastric bypass surgery are quite high. Some estimates put the rate of success as high as 85-90 percent. The surgery does have a low rate of serious complications as well at roughly 5 percent.
While weight loss plateaus after about two years, studies find that patients still maintain at least 50 percent of excess weight loss in the long run. This can lead to significant improvements in your overall health and wellness.
Contact Tijuana Bariatrics
To learn more about gastric bypass surgery and your many other options for achieving a healthy BMI, be sure to contact the weight loss surgeons of Tijuana Bariatrics. We look forward to your visit and discussing these matters in much greater detail.
