Obesity is a significant problem for many people. Many factors are associated with a higher risk of obesity such as age, family history, certain diseases, eating disorders, and other similar issues. Obesity not only physically increases your weight, but it can lead to a higher risk of many diseases like diabetes, sleep apnea, and liver disease.

The ideal way to cope with obesity is with proper weight loss. Doctors recommend losing weight to help decrease obesity; this results in protection against forming diseases like diabetes or liver disease. Depending on your weight dynamics and BMI, there are many ways you can properly lose weight.

Although following a self-monitored diet plan and exercise regimen is the safest way to lose weight, for many people, those methods do not work. A family history of stubborn fat, age, genetics may contribute to the inability to effectively lose weight. In such cases, you may need medical help. Many therapies exist to accelerate weight loss from dieting to surgeries.

To date, gastric bypass surgery is the most effective way of losing weight and treating obesity. Almost 35 percent of initial weight is lost after the gastric bypass surgery. In multiple 10-year follow-up studies, on average, patients lose 55-60 percent excess weight over 10 years after gastric bypass surgery. Although it is a very common surgery, it comes with many issues such as surgery costs and the risks of having surgery. Moreover, gastric bypass is only performed on patients who fit the requirements for it.

If a patient does not complete the requirements for gastric bypass, or if someone is scared of having gastric bypass surgery due to risks associated with it, then they can choose gastric bypass alternatives for weight loss. There are many options for alternatives to gastric bypass: intensive diet and exercise, innovative medical therapies, and surgical/non-surgical therapies.

Diet and Exercise - Alternative to Gastric Bypass

Diet and exercise are a gastric bypass alternative you might have tried before. It is the safest way of losing weight. Lifestyle changes with diet and exercise is an amazingly effective way of losing weight. Adding adequate exercise to your routine with a healthy diet can achieve a healthy reduction of at least 1.24 BMI over a year.

Reducing weight by only 5 percent from baseline minimizes the risk of diabetes. However, it is necessary to take a reduced caloric diet along with exercise to make it more effective. It is a very cumbersome method if you are trying to do it on your own. Studies have shown that a medically supervised weight loss program is more effective than dieting on your own. Moreover, it has further benefits:

• Expert advice on personalized diet and exercise
• Monitoring your health and weight
• Safe way, no risks of surgery

Gastric Bypass Pills - Alternatives to Gastric Bypass

Doctors and scientists have been researching for decades to mimic the effects of gastric bypass surgery with an alternative non-surgical method. Many patients who are borderline obese do not fit the criteria of gastric bypass, and some patients do not want to put them in the risk of having surgery.

Gastric bypass pills have the same mechanism of weight loss as the gastric bypass surgery. Moreover, it is a non-invasive and reversible method, unlike gastric bypass. However, it is not equivalent to a gastric bypass. Some patients may still require gastric bypass surgery eventually.

Plenity

Plenity is a FDA cleared weight loss pill. It is prescription therapy and taken before meals with plenty of water. It forms hydrogels that fill the stomach without adding calories. This pill gives you the feeling of fullness which helps you eat less throughout the day.

According to a study, the majority of people who took Plenity lost 5 percent of their body weight. Additionally, it is a reversible method, and unlike gastric bypass, it does not cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Plenity acts by expanding your stomach so that you feel full and eat less.

LUCI - Gastric Bypass in a Pill

LUCI is an innovative product that has been tested on animals. It will be available in the future once further human testing is done. LUCI (Luminal Coating of the Intestine) is an engineered substance that comes as a dried powder that can be taken as a pill or capsule. After being ingested, LUCI forms a viscus, sticky paste that coats the intestinal lining without requiring activation by gastric acid. The coating clears out from the gut after a few hours. This coating prevents the nutrients from getting absorbed and blocks the rise of sugar after eating. Essentially it will promote weight loss and cure diabetes.

Gastric Bypass Alternative Liquid Formula

This regimen includes drinking a formula that expands inside the stomach to limit the capacity for food. This is so you eat less and feel full early. It also contains a few pills to help with food cravings and stress. This regimen was introduced by Don Karl Juravin about eight years ago, and the regimen has evolved based on the undocumented experience of 80,000 users and about 500,000 applicants.

However, there is a catch: it is not scientifically proven, and its effectiveness is based on personal experiences. It is not FDA cleared and is an unsafe formula. As with any weight loss aid, you should discuss the risks with your doctor about this.

Prescription Weight Loss Pills - Alternative to Gastric Bypass

Although everyone wants to lose weight quickly and easily, nothing can replace a careful caloric restricted diet and adequate physical activity. Medical weight management comes in play when patients cannot manage their weight with diet and exercise alone, or if they have any medical problems such a thyroid disease that is limiting their ability to lose weight.

Weight loss pills may be useful in losing weight. However, they are not equivalent to gastric bypass surgery. Weight loss pills have maximum effect when supplemented with diet and exercise.

Currently, several medications are approved by the FDA for weight-loss:

• Phentermine products (Adipex-P or Lomaira)
• Lorcaserin HCI (Belviq)
• Naltrexone HCI AND bupropion HCI (CONTRAVE)
• Phentermine- topiramate ER (Qsymia)

These drugs trick your brain and stimulate a feeling of fullness that helps you eat less.

There are two other relevant drugs to consider:

• Liraglutide injection (Saxenda)
• Orlistat (Xenical or alli)

Liraglutide is a diabetic drug that causes weight loss as a side effect. Orlistat works by preventing the gut lining to digest fat. For more mechanisms and side effects see obesity treatment.

Non-Surgical Options - Gastric Bypass Alternatives

Patients suffering from obesity require lifestyle modifications and medical treatment. If their medical problems are not controlled, then they need bariatric surgery such as gastric bypass.

Many patients do not meet the requirements for gastric bypass surgery, or some are unwilling to undergo an operation due to anxiety and fear. To treat these patients, endoscopic procedures were created.

The procedures significantly reduce the stomach size or alter the other parts of the gut to treat obesity. Unlike gastric bypass, endoscopic bariatric procedures are non-invasive.

To perform the procedure, a small, flexible scope is inserted through the patient’s mouth. These are same-day procedures, and there is a reduced risk of complications.

Intragastric Balloon Therapy

Fluid-filled or gas balloons are placed inside the stomach. This procedure is approved for people with BMI 30-40. With endoscopy, camera guided balloons are inserted inside the stomach. The balloons are filled either with a safe saline fluid or a gas.

The balloon fills the stomach and restricts the food intake. This simulates satiety and delays gastric emptying. Unlike gastric bypass, this procedure is reversible, and balloons can be removed later.

Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty

This is substantially similar to surgical sleeve gastrectomy. The difference between the two are the non-invasive nature of the Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty. This procedure is approved for patients with a BMI of more than 30. The endoscope and a suturing device are used on the stomach to stitch it, making it smaller. This reduction in stomach size restricts food intake and helps in combating obesity.

AspireAssist ®

AspireAssist uses a tube device that is placed inside the patient’s stomach through a small incision in the skin. The endoscope is used to grab this device and place it in the stomach. Button-shaped port valves are left against the skin connected with the tube inside the stomach.

After each meal, a small pump is connected with the port to suck out the stomach contents. This process takes around 10 minutes. The contents of the stomach are dumped in the toilet. This removal of food from the stomach helps the patient lose weight.

This is a non-surgical procedure that takes about 15 minutes to perform, and it is approved for patients with BMI 35-55.

The pump ingests more than 30% of food taken and promotes healthy eating habits.

Surgical Options - Alternative to Gastric Bypass

There are surgical procedures available as an alternative to gastric bypass. The procedures are performed in a minimally invasive fashion through laparoscopy. Small incisions are used to insert a camera and tools to perform surgery.

Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy

A large portion of the stomach is stapled and removed. It will leave behind a long pouch connecting the esophagus with the stomach. This reduced size of the stomach:

• Helps weight loss by causing a feeling of fullness
• Reduces the hunger hormones, so the person is less hungry

A small portion of the stomach is sutured. The rest of the stomach is removed.

LAP-BAND®

LAP-BAND surgery is performed laparoscopically. During this procedure, a silicone band is wrapped around the middle portion of the stomach. On the inside of the band there is a small balloon. The band is connected to a port under the skin.

The balloon can be filled with saline to make it tight around your stomach. Your surgeon can adjust the tightness of the band by inflating or deflating it. This causes the smaller pouch of the stomach above the band to help the patient feel full early and results in eating less. The tighter the band is, the less hungry you will feel.

During follow-up appointments, your surgeon can adjust the band tightness.

Conclusion

Obesity is a growing health problem. Along with excessive weight gain, it causes many health problems like hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, and liver problems. The ideal way to treat obesity is with bariatric surgery like gastric bypass.

However, Gastric bypass surgery is only performed on patients with severe obesity BMI 35-40.

Gastric bypass alternatives bridge this gap in those patients who:

• Do not meet the threshold of having gastric bypass surgery
• Are not willing to undergo operation due to fear and anxiety

The sequence of treatments depends on the severity of obesity and the effectiveness of the intervention as gastric bypass alternatives. Among gastric bypass alternatives, a medically supervised diet and exercise is the safest, relatively effective option. Nevertheless, it may not work for some causing them to turn to other aids such as weight loss pills or other surgery alternatives. As with any weight loss decisions, it is always wise to speak with your medical doctor to determine the most effective course of action.

References

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