Don't dismiss weight-loss surgery

AS A black woman concerned about our high obesity rates, and as a physician, I must advocate for the most effective weight-loss strategy for the severely obese: bariatric surgery, otherwise known as gastric bypass surgery or banding.

In his Jan. 20 op-ed "Obesity and the addiction to food," author Michael Prager wrote that if insurers have to choose between covering treatment for food addiction or bariatric surgery, "obviously the surgical option must go." He noted the estimated $4.4 billion in bariatric-surgery costs last year, but neglected to add that money spent on this surgery is recovered through cancer prevention and resolution of diabetes and hypertension. In fact, obese people who undergo weight-loss surgery live longer than their overweight counterparts. No wonder both the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization promote it as the most effective weight-loss method for the severely obese.

In my book "A Guide to Weight Loss Surgery: Professional and Personal Views," I describe how I lost 100 pounds through gastric bypass surgery, and describe the risks and benefits of surgery. As we develop preventive strategies, we cannot overlook the one treatment that saves money and lives and leads to significant and sustained weight loss.

Dr. Rhonda Hamilton
Woburn

The writer, an internist, is physician coordinator of the bariatric department at Winchester Hospital.