The fattest man in the world is about to undergo gastric bypass surgery. This surgical technique is shown to be effective in losing weight.
Last Friday, Mexican Juan Pedro Franco, 32, was admitted to hospital for gastric bypass surgery. This man, who previously held the sad record for being the fattest man in the world with nearly 600 kilograms on the counter, has already managed to lose 175 kilograms thanks to medical treatment.
This new operation is encouraging for Juan Pedro. Indeed, gastric bypass surgery refers to a surgical operation that has been proven to fight obesity. The operation involves reducing the size of the patient’s stomach to the size of a small pouch. To do this, several 1.5 cm diameter incisions are made in the abdomen.
Reduce the size of the stomach
Once the abdomen is incised, the surgeons introduce a mini-camera which allows to observe with precision and in close-up the organs of the digestive system. The organs are then associated with each other in a short circuit to form a gastric pouch connected to the small intestine.
This new organization of the digestive system creates a phenomenon of malabsorption, which means that the quantity of food ingested turns out to be much less, given the significant reduction in the size of the stomach. In addition, it helps to reduce the level of hormone responsible for the feeling of hunger.
Also known under the name of “gastric bypass”, this method makes it possible to limit the risks compared to those incurred by an open stomach operation, as well as to shorten the hospital stay (approximately 5 days less.)
41kg less in 3 three years
According to a study published 3 years ago in the prestigious scientific journal Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), gastric bypass obesity surgery resulted in an average loss of 31.5% in starting weight within 3 years (i.e. an average of 41 kg in patients who weighed on average 129 kg).
The study also shows that gastric bypass remains more effective against obesity than gastric banding (a similar technique but considered less invasive because it is reversible). For each of the two surgical techniques, the researchers determined five subgroups of patients who had different weight loss trajectories.
With gastric bypass, all patients lost approximately 25 kg six months after the operation. Only a very small minority of patients (2.1%) regained weight.
In patients treated with a gastric band, however, the trajectories were more varied. Almost one in five patients had regained their initial weight after 3 years. The majority of patients (62.4%) lost a dozen pounds after six months. Results two times less spectacular than those observed in patients treated by gastric bypass surgery.
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