Discuss the three main categories of bariatric surgery and how they work

Bariatric surgery has changed everything for people who are overweight and have health problems because of it. Because of improvements in medical technology, there are now three main types of bariatric surgery that have been shown to help people lose a lot of weight. Let’s take a look at these groups and see how they work.

The first type is limiting surgery, in which the size of the stomach is reduced to limit how much food a person can eat. This group includes gastric sleeve surgery, flexible gastric banding, and vertical banded gastroplasty. In gastric sleeve surgery, a big part of the stomach is removed, leaving only a small “sleeve” that makes it hard to eat. Adjustable gastric banding involves putting a band around the top of the stomach that can be tightened or loosened. This makes a small pouch that limits how much food a person can eat. With vertical banded gastroplasty, pins and a band are put around the stomach to make a small pouch at the top. Restrictive treatments help people lose weight by limiting the amount of food they can eat. This means they eat fewer calories and lose a lot of weight.

Malabsorptive treatments involve rerouting or going around a part of the small intestine to make it harder for the body to absorb nutrients. In this group, you’ll find surgeries like duodenal switch and biliopancreatic diversion. In duodenal switch surgery, a part of the stomach is removed and a part of the small intestine is rerouted to lower the amount of nutrients absorbed. In biliopancreatic diversion surgery, a big part of the stomach is removed and the small intestine is rerouted to go around most of it. This makes it even harder for the body to absorb nutrients. Malabsorptive surgeries help people lose weight by lowering the amount of nutrients that the body can take in.

The third group is a mix of restrictive and malabsorptive treatments, which both limit the amount of food you can eat and make it harder for your body to absorb nutrients. In this group are operations like Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, in which the stomach is stapled together to make a small pouch and the small intestine is rerouted to go around most of the pouch. This process limits how much you can eat and makes it harder for your body to absorb nutrients. This makes you lose a lot of weight.

In conclusion, bariatric surgery has changed the way we think about losing weight and the health issues that come with it. People with different needs can choose from the three main types of bariatric surgery: restricted, malabsorptive, and a mix of the two. If you are overweight and have health problems because of it, bariatric surgery may be able to change your life.