In contrast, studies show that 10 years after the most commonly performed bariatric operation, called gastric bypass, patients on average have maintained a loss of 60 percent of their excess weight. At East Carolina University School of Medicine, in Greenville, N.C., a research team led by Dr. Walter Pories has kept records on 608 patients and found that after 14 years, percentages translated to an average loss of 100 pounds. Physically and emotionally, the benefits are profound. Often, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure simply go away. So do breathing problems, including sleep apnea, a life-threatening disorder that forces many obese patients to sleep with oxygen masks.
Ulcerated leg veins heal, as do crippling back and joint problems.
Md. Altman, who is 5 feet 9 inches, used to weigh 388 pounds. He could barely squeeze behind the steering wheel of his car or climb a flight of stairs, and could no longer work in his garden or pick up his grandchildren. He had diabetes, sleep apnea, gout, swollen legs, hypertension and high cholesterol. His doctor told him he might well be dead within five years. Today, he is 220 pounds lighter, and his medical problems have cleared up.