Bariatric surgery, which significantly curtails the amount of
food a person can eat, is the most effective treatment against
obesity and is being recognized as a potentially valuable tool
in the fight against diabetes related to obesity. It is being
performed on increasing numbers of people worldwide, including
teenagers. Unfortunately, some types of bariatric surgery may
also cause bone loss, a cause for concern, particularly when
carried out on young people who have not yet reached their peak
bone mass, say endocrinologists from Sydney's Garvan Institute
of Medical Research, who have just published a review of current
literature in the journal Obesity Reviews, now online. Authors,
Dr Malgorzata Brzozowska and Associate Professor Jackie Center,
say that skeletal examination and treatment should be considered
part of patient care, before and after procedures. In the United
States, 'Roux-en-Y' gastric bypass surgery, one of the most
invasive of the procedures, is the most common. Much of the
stomach is removed