The Heart of the Matter: Obesity Can Kill

Ask a child what the most vital organ of the human body is. Child will tell you it is the Heart.

Ask a mother when she first felt the gush of life within her womb. She will tell you it is when she first sensed her baby’s heartbeat.

Ask a spurned lover what the most painful experience of all is. He will tell you it is the pangs of a heart ache.

Anatomically, Physiogically, Emotionally – the Heart is the core of our being.

It is not that we don’t know it. But often we ignore it.

So, while we do well to feed our stomachs with delicious food and feed our senses with interesting stimulants, we forget to give our heart what it needs to remain healthy.

Did you know that India is set to soon become the Global Capital of Heart Disease?

Nearly two million people are dying each year in India due to heart problems and a large number of them are youngsters.

Obesity and lifestyle choices are proven to be the underlying cause of a large number of those cases of heart disease.

Obesity is not just the weight on your body. It is also the weight on your Heart. Increased fat around the waist increases the risk of Cardiovascular ailments.

Obesity is determined by calculating the BMI or Body Mass Index of the person.

Eg :  if one’s height is 175 cm and weight is 70 kg, the BMI would be calculated as follows :-

BMI = 70 / (1.75 * 1.75) = 22.86

 

When one’s BMI is 30 or more, one is said to be Obese.

And when BMI is more than 37.5, patients qualify for Bariatric surgery subject to certain conditions.

There are many ways to lose weight but there is only one sceintifically validated way to sustain weight loss over long term. It is Bariatric Surgery.

Bariatric Surgery is a scientifically proven, tried and tested treatment for obesity. Known also as Weight Loss or Obesity Surgery, it is a procedure to induce long term weight loss particularly amongst those for whom other weight loss measures have not worked.

Bariatric surgery involves reducing the actve size of the patient’s stomach with the help of a gastric band also known as a lap-band. Alternatively, a part of the stomach is surgically removed. In one more type of surgery, food pathway is rerouted.

All these three options in Bariatric surgery result in reduction of food intake or less absortpition of fat and sugars or both, to help long term weight loss. Your Doctor will advise which of these three options are best for you.

Post the bariatric procedure, one is required to have small frequent meals. As the stomach size is reduced, one tends to feel full with smaller quantities. The food intake will thereby reduce on its own.

The impact of bariatric surgery becomes apparent within the first few weeks of surgery.

The procedure is performed through laparoscopy i.e. through the key-hole method. This involves minitature incisions. As a result, there will be no major scars of surgery and recovery is painless and quick compared to open surgery.

Bariatric Surgery involves risk just like any other surgery. But it is important to understand that as with any other surgery, the surgeon’s skill and expertise reduce the risk involved.

The success of a surgery and the patient’s experience depends mostly on the experience, skill and expertise of the surgeon. It is therefore necessary that one approaches a top bariatric centre with vast experience in performing batiatric and laparoscopic surgeries.

Apart from Heart Disease, Obesity is associated with increased risk of several physical health disorders including diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, arthritis, infertility, sleep apnea and thyroid amongst others.

It is also a major cause of mental and psychological problems like Depression, Anxiety, etc. caused due to social seclusion and isolation.

Bariatric Surgery may be the answer to end your battle with Obesity and the multifarious problems that come along with it.

My Inspiration: Dr Kelvin Higa

The man who inspired me to start Gastric Bypass Surgery for morbidly obese patients is Dr Kelvin Higa from California US who is one of the most prominent Bariatric Surgeons of the world.

Our center was one of the first in India in 2004 to offer Gastric Bypass to deserving patients and has a successful series of more than 1000 happy patients today.

Gastric Bypass is an excellent surgical option for those who gain weight in spite of eating less. Normally its a good option for very high BMI (40 and above) patients. Certain lifestyle changes such as taking supplements lifelong is needed after surgery. But taking supplements life long is much better than taking diabetes and blood pressure medications everyday for instance. Isn’t it?

Gastric Bypass

Dr Kelvin Higa, the current president of American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons has a large role in getting me started with gastric by pass where we bypass a large portion of stomach and intestine and make food mix with digestive juices a little late down the digestive tract. The delay helps in reducing calorie absorption and solves the excess digestion of food that takes place in some patients which is the root cause for stubborn excess weight.

It was a great pleasure to connect back with him recently in Goa at Asia Pacific IFSO convention.

Dr Abhay Agrawal at Asia Pacific Conference Speaks on Resolving Diabetes Complications with Bariatric Surgery

The meeting was IFSO which brought more than 500 internationally acclaimed surgeons, researchers and pioneers from 18 countries across the world.

The location was Goa but nothing was further in the audience minds than beach and the sands due to high quality clinical interactions between surgical leaders such as Dr Kelvin Higa from US who is the worlwide president of IFSO (International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders) and medical leaders such as Dr Lee Kaplan from US who is a world renowned physician in metabolic disorders. Dr. Kelvin Higa is also Dr Agrawal’s mentor who inspired him to take up Gastric bypass surgery.

At the Conference Dr Agrawal was invited as Faculty to share his experience in resolving microvascular complications arising from diabetes, through Bariatric surgery in his morbidly obese patients.

Diabetes leads to microvascular complications which include damage to eyes (retinopathy) leading to blindness, to kidneys (nephropathy) leading to renal failure and to nerves (neuropathy) leading to impotence and diabetic foot disorders which may progress to amputation in severe cases.

In his presentation Dr Agrawal shared how bariatric and metabolic surgeries have resolved progression of microvascular complications in his patients and have also led to long-term weight loss.

The theme of the conference was “Diabesity”- a term coined by WHO (World Health Organisation) to bring under focus the close association between Obesity and Diabetes.

Obesity is no longer considered a cosmetic issue caused by overeating and a lack of self-control. The WHO, as well as other national and international medical and scientific societies have defined obesity as a chronic progressive disease that results from multiple environmental and genetic factors and must be tackled with special attention and treatment.

Bariatric surgery is now considered the most reliable and evidence-based solution for obese patients to attain long-term weight loss and resolve related complications in morbidly obese patients.

The presentation was very well received by the visiting experts. And, for Dr Abhay it was a matter of great honour to have the opportunity to share his experience with the top surgeons of Asia Pacific and the world.

 

Dr Agrawal with Dr Higa (centre) and Dr Frydenberg

Dr Abhay Agrawal with Dr Lee Kaplan world renowned physician in metabolic disorders

Scenic Goa beach captured by Dr Agrawal’s camara

Surgical Solution article in Health & Nutrition (A Magma Publication)

 

Times Wellness Article

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