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Our fast-food gobbling, TV remote dependent culture as Americans has finally began to catch up with us.
Over the past decade obesity in American women has steadily grown to record numbers. New research released by the Journal of the American Medical Association, performed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), shows that between 2013 and 2014 about 40% of women were found to be obese. While the numbers for men are still very high at 35% of men being obese, they have plateaued since 2012 without an increase. Overall the obesity rate among American adults sits at 38%, with 8% of that being severely obese. Almost 10% of American women are severely obese, compared to 5.5% of American men.
The importance in addressing this increase cannot be overstated. We need an imminent and meaningful change in the way we treat this disease. Further exasperating the impact of these rising obesity numbers are the rates of obesity and obesity-related sickness in American teenagers and children. In data collected within 2011-2014, 17% of American teenagers were found to be obese, with 5.8% of that having severe obesity according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Raul J. Rosenthal, the president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) stated that,
“Obesity remains the number one public health threat in America, new treatment strategies are required. We cannot continue to do the same things and expect different results.”
Among those leading the charge to change the ways we prescribe treatment for those whom are obese, are industry leaders in the obesity-field.
Jody W. Zylke, MD deputy editor, and Howard Bauchner, editor-in-chief for the Journal of the American Medical Association released a statement, stating the importance of progressive treatments for obesity in the face of this “unrelenting challenge of obesity”. Both Zylke and Bauchner rely that “Numerous foundations, industries, professional societies, and governmental agencies have provided hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to support basic science research in obesity, clinical trials and observational studies, development of new drugs and devices, and hospital and community programs to stem the tide of the obesity epidemic.” Despite this, the latest data “certainly do not suggest much success.”
At NYBG our doctors and staff care for our patients unequivocally and strive to help them onto a path towards healthier lifestyles. While traditional treatments for obesity may suggest diet and lifestyle adjustments, we know these to ultimately be ineffective, while bariatric surgery has proven to dramatically improve our patients lives. Dieting and medication are fine adjustments for some patients. However, for many more these changes alone are not enough to improve the quality of life and the reduction in comorbidities which so many wish for. Dr. Garber, head surgeon with New York Bariatric Group related to this sentiment from the Journal of the American Medical Association stating,
“Modern American culture dictates that we have processed foods easily accessible at any time of the day. We’re more sedentary than ever before, and we haven’t updated the ways in which we treat our patients to reflect our current-day society. Even despite the fact that bariatric procedures have been clinically-proven to be among the most effective ways of treating obesity. We must be the change we wish to see in our society, and changing the standards for obesity treatment is a great step in the right direction.”
If you are suffering from obesity and any comorbidities which may go hand-in-hand with being significantly overweight, it’s of the utmost importance that you seek the most effective and progressive treatment options available to you. Our team at NYBG with review all the options during your consultation, and help to create a customized weight loss plan to help you along your journey to a healthier life! Call us or visit us on the web to set up your consultation today!
