by Playfuls Staff |
22nd September 2006
- A new study says there's hope for the super obese in a treatment called duodenal switch, but University of Chicago [more] researchers say it's risky and costly.
There has been a five-fold increase in the percentage of the super obese in the United States, the report says, with 1 in 400 falling into that category. The super obese are those roughly 120 to 200 pounds overweight, depending on their height.
Weight-loss surgery is one of the most effective treatments, with gastric bypass the most commonly used, the study said. However, in a three-year test of 350 super obese patients the lesser used duodenal switch, in which about 85 percent of the stomach is removed, proved more effective.
But the procedure, which can cost around $50,000, can be more difficult, risky -- complications claimed the life of one test patient -- and could open the door to malnutrition without proper care, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
© 2006 UPI
