LIPOSUCTION NOT THE ANSWER TO HEALTHY BODY.

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Obesity is a growing problem in the developing countries. Australia / UK and the USA are among the countries that have the largest proportion of overweight people on earth. The health problems associated with being overweight are many. Therefore losing weight is important not only to look better but also to improve your general well being. Many have turned to surgery for the answer and liposuction is among the fastest growing operations.

Being overweight affects nearly every system in the body. Heart disease is among the most prominent health problem associated with being overweight. Being overweight is associated with high cholesterol as well as high LDL (the bad fat in the blood). Fats clog up arteries causing strokes as well as heart attacks at an early age. Type 2 diabetes or sugar – disease is another health problem associated with obesity. Over time diabetes causes substantial health problems affecting nearly every system in the body. Diabetes is among the leading causes of kidney failure in the developed world. Mobility problems including osteoarthritis also often develop in overweight people.

It has been shown in many studies that losing weigh is associated with substantial gains in general health and risk of developing heart problems. Diabetes sufferers also note substantial improvements in their sugar control. Even small amounts of reduction in weight are associated with substantial health gains, for example for every 10kg reduction in weight the cholesterol level in the blood is reduced by 10 percent. Due to the difficulty in reducing weight to the ideal body weigh, a more modest goal of reducing weight as much as personally possible can still provide substantial health benefits.

In recent times liposuction has become a more and more popular choice in targeting those problem areas. New techniques in liposuction have provided the opportunity to safely remove a substantial amount of fat from the tummy. Lipo sculpture refers to the technique of targeting the liposuction to problem areas such as the hip, i.e. sculpturing the body to a particular shape.

In recent times the question has been posed if it is the weight itself that provides the health benefits or if it is the negative energy balance that you require too lose the weight that is the main reason for the health benefits. One recent study in the esteemed New England Journal of Medicine has shed light on this question. 15 obese women where studies before they had liposuction and after liposuction. In this study the effect on sugar control was measured specifically but most likely the results can be presumed to be similar to other systems. Unfortunately they found that there was no effect on sugar control after having liposuction.

In conclusion liposuction is great if you want to sculpt your body to a particular shape. Lipo sculpture is however not the answer if you want to improve your health. Hard work, exercise and a healthy life style with an emphasis on negative energy balance is the answer to having a healthier body. Unfortunately there are no short cuts yet to the old adage in weight loss of eating less and exercising more to lose weight and feel better.

 

Dr. Bernard Beldholm