You may have read about a new weight loss surgery technique that uses electrical signals to manipulate the brain into craving less food. According to reports, this new procedure has been approved by the FDA in regards to its safety, but it’s clear that more research still needs to be done surrounding its real-world effectiveness as it pertains to actually helping obese individuals lose weight. There are some very clear reasons why the research surrounding such procedures as the sleeve gastrectomy makes bariatric surgery still very much the best option for most patients when considering a weight loss procedure.

• Safety – In the early days of bariatric surgery, many casuals observers held the questionable perception that the procedures were unsafe and entirely too drastic. Today, however the safety of these procedures is widely known. In fact, a study that was released last year showed that weight loss surgery had a complications rate on par with other commonly performed procedures including gallbladder and knee replacement surgery. While early tests show the new neurometabolic therapy device to be safe, its efficacy has not been tested and proven on a large scale. For this reason, most insurance companies do not presently cover the new device.
• Effectiveness – In addition to being safe, the sleeve gastrectomy and other procedures have been shown time and time again to successfully help obese patients lose weight and keep it off. Not only do patients know this, but insurance companies know this as well. Since it is much more expensive to provide health care for obese patients in the long term, insurance companies are typically more than willing to cover a sleeve gastrectomy procedure to save money (and lives) down the line.
• While no surgical procedure is right for every patient, it is best to turn to tried and trusted procedures under the care of top-notch surgeons, rather than venturing into mostly uncharted territory. While the future may show that neurometabolic therapy devices are the way to go, the present reality is that the sleeve gastrectomy is typically the best available choice for obese patients.