Through Thick and Thin: Identifying Barriers to Bariatric Surgery, Weight Loss Maintenance, and Tailoring Obesity Treatment for the Future.
More than one-third of the adults in the United States are obese. This complex metabolic disorder is associated with multiple comorbidities and increased all-cause mortality. Bariatric surgery has been shown to be more effective than medical therapy and has been associated with weight loss maintenance and decreased mortality. In spite of these well-established benefits, less than 1% of candidates undergo surgery due to multiple factors, such as patient and physician perceptions and attitudes, patient-physician interaction, lack of resources, and cost burden. Furthermore, even in patients who do undergo bariatric surgery and/or alternate weight loss interventions, long-term weight control is associated with high-risk failure and weight regain. In this review, we highlight some of the current barriers to bariatric surgery and long-term weight loss maintenance and underscore the importance of an individualized multidisciplinary longitudinal strategy for the treatment of obesity.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32601, USA.
Donevan
D
Westerveld
Division of Gastroenterology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32601, USA.
Dennis
D
Yang