Bariatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with obesity. Specialists in bariatrics may be certified by the American Board of Bariatric Physicians or the American Board of Bariatric Surgeons. Although most people think of surgery when they talk about bariatrics, there are medical treatments for obesity, too.
Medical bariatric treatments usually include diet and exercise regimens. You don't need to go to a bariatric physician to get a diet and exercise program, of course, but a bariatric physician also diagnoses and treats medical conditions that accompany obesity, such as type-2 diabetes. In addition, bariatric physicians can safely supervise weight loss using very low calorie diets and/or medications.
Two types of medication are currently available for the treatment of obesity. Bariatric physicians may prescribe appetite suppressants, which are usually some type of amphetamine, and fat blockers, like orlistat. Fat blockers keep fats from being absorbed in the intestines. When fat is present, food moves more quickly through the intestines and other nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, are not absorbed well.
Bariatric surgery is another option for the treatment of obesity. In the past, bariatric surgery was risky and required permanent lifestyle changes of the people who had it. Bariatric surgery caused malabsorption of essential vitamins and minerals. Without supplementation, nutritional deficiencies and health problems such as anemia and osteoporosis developed. A new type of bariatric surgery, gastric banding, is safer and easier.
Both obesity and treatment for obesity are associated with vitamin B12 deficiencies. Bariatric physicians diagnose and treat vitamin B12 deficiencies before, during and after treatment. Most bariatric surgeons instruct their patients to have vitamin B12 injections once a month after surgery.
The Surgeon General has declared obesity to be a national epidemic. Indeed, it is a world-wide epidemic, with nearly all developed nations reporting a high incidence of obesity. Bariatric research is trying to discover the causes of obesity, and to identify more effective treatments.
Bariatric research has uncovered some interesting vitamin deficiencies associated with obesity. It is not known whether these deficiencies are the cause of obesity, or if they occur because of poor diets among the obese. Vitamin D deficiency is frequently associated with obesity. In children, Vitamin B12 deficiency occurs at least twice as often in obese children as in normal weight children. In fact, the higher a child's BMI (body mass index), the more likely he or she is to have a vitamin B12 deficiency. It is not yet known if this also holds true with adults.
If you are or have been obese, you may have a vitamin B12 deficiency, whether or not you have had bariatric surgery or taken bariatric medications. The B12 Patch is an easy and painless way to get the vitamin B12 you need.
