Experts consider gastric band operations for teens

Gastric band operations have helped many Americans lose weight and maintain a healthy size. Now, the Food and Drug Administration is considering whether the surgery should be performed on younger patients in order to combat the increasingly serious issue of childhood obesity.

The surgery is available for anybody with a Body Mass Index of 30 or over. The patient must also be classified as medically as morbidly obese. The complex procedure involves a band, placed around the patient’s stomach. The band works to form a pouch at the top of the stomach which fills quickly, restricting the appetite.

Benefits

The surgery is currently only legally approved for people over the age of 18. Some experts however, are now looking to reduce this to 14-17 year olds. Supporters of the move believe that gastric bands are perfect for morbidly obese teens, citing the fact that the operation is reversible. Another benefit discussed is that the surgery can help young people to fight obesity early in their lives and therefore restrict the chances of developing other health issues that are caused by obesity before it is too late.

Deserving

A study published earlier this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association, reported that teenagers who undergo gastric band operations are more than ten times more likely to lose weight than teenagers who attempt to shed the pounds through diet and exercise. Co-author of the study, Professor Susan Sawyer, argued that “adolescents are as deserving as adults when it comes to accessing clinical interventions that work”. Professor Sawyer said that until other methods can be discovered to battle teen obesity, gastric band surgery needs to “at least be considered”.