Surgery to promote weight loss by restricting food intake or interruption digestive processes is an option for severely obese people. However, as in other treatments for obesity, successful results depend mainly on motivation and behavior. Studies indicate that those who undergo surgical treatment for obesity are more successful at losing weight and keeping the pounds off for longer periods at a lesser cost than those patients who attempt weight loss over a period of years through medical programs. It was also shown that by the sixth year, the cost per pound lost through medical therapy was greater than the cost of one pound lost through surgical treatment. The study also noted that the practice of some insurance companies of requiring severely obese patients to undergo medical treatment before being allowed to undergo surgical therapy may also increase the cost for each pound lost by the entire population of patients in the study.
Obesity remains a disease that is poorly understood and poorly treated.
In contrast to what may people and some physicians may say, obesity is a disease with a very large hereditary and genetic component. The exact method of genetic cause transmission is not known. The expression of tendency to obesity varies with social, environmental, cultural, economic and psychological influences. Some types of obesity may be found to be caused by a glandular or hormonal imbalance, such as thyroid or adrenal problems. In spite of what many may say, obesity is not caused simply by a lack of willpower .