January 29, 2010

Health Tip: Who's a Candidate for Gastric Bypass Surgery?

(HealthDay News) -- Gastric bypass surgery, sometimes recommended for obese people, involves re-routing the path that food takes, including shrinking the size of the stomach. But the procedure has a number of risks, including the possibility of post-surgical infection, blood clots or developing gallstones.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine says the following people may be candidates for gastric bypass surgery:

• People who are obese and are unable to lose enough weight by dieting and exercising.
• People who are committed to a diet and exercise regimen.
• People who are not mentally ill.
• People who do not have drug or alcohol dependency problems.
• People who have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher; generally at least 100 pounds overweight.
• People who have a BMI of 35 or greater, in addition to a serious health problem that could get better with weight loss -- for instance, heart disease or type 2 diabetes.

-- Diana Kohnle

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