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The word bariatric by itself is not a word that comes up very often. However, it is used quite a bit as an adjective to medicine or surgery. It is from bariatrics, which is the branch of medicine that deals with the control and treatment of obesity. Of course there are guidelines in place that actually define obesity, at least for the purpose of determining if someone is a candidate for weight loss surgery.

Obesity is a serious disease with symptoms that build slowly over an extended period of time. There are some surgeries that are specifically recommended for patients with morbid obesity. The National Institute of Health defines morbid obesity as being 100 pounds or more overweight, or having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or greater, or having a BMI of 35 or greater with one or more co-morbid (meaning the presence of one or more disorders in addition to the primary disorder) condition. After your doctor gets a complete medical history from you and perhaps runs some tests, he or she will determine if you meet the criteria and conditions and will talk with you to see if having the surgery for weight loss is right for you.

Currently there are over 24 million adults in the United States that live with morbid obesity and by 2010 that figure will be over 31 million. Bariatric medicine has shown that this type of obesity interferes with every aspect of life, even basic functions such as walking and breathing. Most times, unless people undergo some type of operation to reduce their body mass, such as in surgery liposuction, the long term implications may include a shorter life span, diabetes and heart disease.

A BMI of 40 or greater is said to be a sign of morbid obesity OR a BMI of 35 or greater along with a co-morbid condition. There are many conditions that could fit this description. Some of the more common ones include: heart disease requiring heart surgery, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, acid reflux or GERD, Cancer, Depression along with several others. Mortality rates from many of these conditions are higher among people with morbid obesity.

A recent study that was the result of a 5 year follow-up compared different weight loss strategies. Diet and exercise results after 5 years showed only 2 to 5% of the people maintained a weight loss of at least 10%. The people who had taken prescription weight loss medications showed 0% and were not able to maintain any weight loss. The study showed that bariatric surgery had the best weight loss outcome, with 50 to 70% of the people being able to lose at least 50% of the excess weight and keep it off after surgery.