I recently came across a study by The McGill University Health Center in Montreal that indicates obesity surgery may reduce an obese persons risk of certain types of cancer by up to 80%. When this story was covered by all the news outlets yesterday, another study which is not online, was included. The actual rate of reduction of certain types of caner was up to 85%. This is a huge number because, unlike an 85% increased of cancer which could be still be a small chance overall, an 85% reduction in anything is a big drop.
Once again, statistics do make me stop and wonder more than they actually enlighten. I am wondering what the actual increased rate of cancer is, when compared to normal weight people, for these patients that are candidates for obesity surgery. That is the number that really interests me. I am a big proponent of us all eating healthy food and doing our best to maintain a healthy weight. I never really thought about exactly what type of increase in cancer rates having an extra 20, 30 or 50 pounds can have. If it is significant, this is even more reason to eat well and exercise!
I believe I have seen that the candidates for obesity surgery have to be at least 100 pounds overweight and have been unsuccessful with traditional weight loss techniques. It may be only people 100 pounds or more overweight achieve the cancer rate reduction since people that are not that overweight do not have increased rates of cancer.
Anyway, you may have already heard about this on the news or in your local paper, but the links above should bring you to some of the original material if you are interested in the main sources.
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Very interesting article link and post Will. A friend of mine had this surgery done many years ago, back then it was highly frowned upon and only to be done as a last resort. He did loose lots of weight and has chosen a healthier lifestyle and is doing well.
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Will:
I don’t have any statistics related to cancer and this type of surgical intervention. I do, however, know someone who had this surgery quite some time ago. He seems to be doing well without any problems – cancer or otherwise.
On another topic, but one related to the stomach: I know a guy who had the large nerve to his stomach severed in order to prevent excessive acid secretion. The operation took place over forty-five years ago. It was an extreme procedure at the time implemented to treat his ulcerated stomach. I recently heard that he is still doing quite well.
Evidently, the stomach is a hardy organ.
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I was recently told that the same surgery also cures diabetes, and web research seem to support the theory.
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Hi Will, glad to be back. As always interesting post, and I am the same if comes to statistics. I like the number too, but you know I always wondered about the size of the population. You know they could have easily done on the 10 or 20 people, and I really think small population samples do not mean much. BTW I am still leading with my posts, lol, was afraid that with my absence I will loose the lead, lol. Hope all is well, Anna
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btw, I like that feature that ads my last blog posts [comment luv], I was going to keep it surprise for you, and there you go all is out, lol, the title says it all, Anna
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I really like how you redesigned your blog. And it’s full of great info!! Keep up the good work!
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I suspect this study on obesity surgery might manipulate the statistics as do many studies on “successful” drugs do. This study does not report on longevity: do the people having the surgery live any longer? Are they dying of anything else so quickly they don’t have time to get cancer? Are they dying of something else? I have clients who’ve had this surgery and they end up with nutrient deficiencies and then become ill. This can lead to a heart attack or other life-threatening disease.
Welcome back Anna! Now everyone knows what you have been up to. Congratulations!
Jennifer Robin – I guess it would do that as the diet related diabetes is really an obesity issue.
Swubird – How long ago was his surgery?
That is a great point, Linda. It makes perfect sense that as these people eat so much less, they need to be extremely aware of getting the proper nutrition. I wonder if they do live normal life spans after the surgery.
Sometimes when you get too far overweight surgery is the only answer, but even after a successful surgery you still have to be conscious of how to maintain your weight.
It is always a struggle to get the weight off and then it takes a conscious effort to keep it off.
Being over weight is an emotionally draining and physically draining situation to be in and many times your struggle is reduced to ridicule and insensitivity.
The exhilaration you feel when you look back 5 months before you made a conscious effort and see positive results is truly gratifying and often creates wide smiles and happy tears.
Losing weight can be accomplish but motivation must come from the inside to change the outside.
You can and will do it, just never give up hope.
Only give up the pounds and the inches.
Fat Butt No More
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Thoughts about Obesity
Obesity has been defined as when excess body fat accumulates in one to where their physical overgrowth makes the person unhealthy to varying degrees. Obesity is different than being overweight, as others determine obesity to be of a more serious concern.
As measured by one’s body mass index (BMI), one’s BMI of 25 to 30 kg/m is considered overweight. If their BMI is 30 to 35 kg/m, they are class I obese, 35 to 40 BMI would be class II obese, and any BMI above 40 is class III obesity.
Presently, with obesity affecting children progressively more, the issue of obesity has become a serious public health concern.
Approximately half of all children under the age of 12 are either obese are overweight. About twenty percent of children ages 2 to 5 years old are either obese are overweight. The consequences of these stats on our children are very concerning, considering the health issues they may or likely experience as they get older.
Worldwide, nearly one and a half billion people are either obese or overweight. In the United States, about one third of adults are either obese or overweight.
Women of low socioeconomic status are likely to be twice as obese compared with those who are not at this status. It is now predicted that, for the first time in about 150 years, our life expectancy is suppose to decline because primarily of this obesity problem.
Morbid obesity is defined as one who has a body mass index of 30 kg/m or greater, and this surgery, along with the three other types of surgery for morbid obesity, should be considered a last resort after all other methods to reduce the patient’s weight have chronically failed. Morbid obesity greatly affects the health of the patient in a very negative way. It has about 10 co-morbidities that can develop if the situation is not corrected. Some if not most of these co-morbidities are life-threatening.
One solution beneficial in many cases of morbid obesity if one’s obesity is not eventually controlled or corrected is what is known as gastric bypass surgery. This is a type of bariatric surgery that essentially reduces the volume of the human stomach in order to correct and treat morbid obesity by surgical re-construction of the stomach and small intestine.
Patients for such surgeries are those with a BMI of greater than 40, or a BMI greater than 35 if the patient has co-morbidities aside from obesity. This surgery should be considered for the severely obese when other treatment options have failed. The standard of care illustrating as to whether this surgery is reasonable and necessary should be clarified.
There are three surgical variations of gastric bypass surgery, and one is chosen by the surgeon based on their experience and success from the variation they will utilize. Generally, these surgeries are procedures related to gastric restrictive operations or mal-absorptive operations.
Over 200,000 gastric bypass surgeries are performed each year, and this surgery being performed continues to progress as a suitable option for the morbidly obese. There is evidence that this surgery is particularly beneficial for those obese patients that have non-insulin dependent Diabetes Mellitus as well.
It is believed that the results of this surgery to correct morbid obesity greatly limits or prevents such co-morbidities associated with those who are obese. Yet about two percent of those who undergo this surgery die as a result from about a half a dozen complications that could occur. However, the surgery reduces the overall mortality of the patient by 40 percent or so, yet this percentage is debatable due to conflicting clinical studies at times.
Age of the patient should be taken into consideration, as to whether or not the risks of this surgery outweigh any potential benefits for the patient who may have existing co-morbidities that have already caused physiological damage to the patient. Also what should be determined by the surgeon is the amount of safety, effectiveness, and rationale for a particular patient regarding those patients who are elderly, for example.
Many feel bariatric surgery such as this should be considered as a last resort when exercise and diet have failed for a great length of time.
If a person or a doctor is considering this type of surgery, there is a website dedicated to bariatric surgery, which is: http://www.asmbs.org,
Dan Abshear
Wow! Dan – Thanks for all that information. It is surprising how many people I have met that have had this surgery.
It is now becoming more and more obvious that the secret to our health lies in what we are eating and that the course to better health and longer life lies in eating living foods.
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