More than 1 billion people in the world are obese. In another 12 years, World Obesity Atlas 2023 says over 4 billion will be obese or overweight. That’s more than half of the world’s population at 51 per cent. The UAE also figures in the atlas, with 45 per cent of the adult population estimated to be obese by 2035, up from 27.8 per cent in 2016. With obesity being a risk factor for several debilitating diseases, from diabetes and heart disease to cancers, the importance of weight loss is not lost on anyone. However, for some people, exercise and the right nutrition might not be enough to produce the desired result due to underlying health conditions. For them, Dr Hussam Mohamad Al Trabulsi, Specialist General Surgery at Medcare Hospital Al Safa, recommends bariatric surgery. “Bariatric surgery is a weight loss surgery that involves reducing the size of the stomach or bypassing a part of the small intestine,” he explains. “In simple words, bariatric surgery changes the anatomy of the stomach to cause significant weight loss. We can divide bariatric interventions into two categories: non-invasive such as gastric balloon and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, and invasive through laparoscopic surgery like gastric sleeve surgery, gastric bypass surgery, and adjustable gastric banding.”