Bridging the Divide between Bariatric Surgery and Traditional Weight Loss Programs

Abstract

The obesity trend in the United States has caused great alarm among clinicians working in the field of weight management. Maps published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detailing the rapidly expanding prevalence of obesity have been widely circulated and discussed. The appropriate clinical response to this trend, however, has generated significant debate. While some adamantly maintain that a traditional approach consisting of diet and exercise is the best treatment option for obese patients, there is growing support for use of weight-loss inducing drugs and surgery. Too often the attitudes of health care providers are polarized in relation to these very different approaches, favoring either the medical/surgical approach, or the traditional approach. We review these differing approaches to managing obesity, and recommend that treatment be determined on an individual basis.