Technological Fixes for Obesity

Surgery:
GASTRIC BYPASS
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RGB): This operation is the most common gastric bypass surgery performed in the U.S. First, a small stomach pouch is created by stapling part of the stomach together or by vertical banding. This limits how much food you can eat. Next, a Y-shaped section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch to allow food to bypass the duodenum as well as the first portion of the jejunum. This causes reduced calorie and nutrient absorption. This procedure can now be done with a laparoscope (a thin telescope-like instrument for viewing inside the abdomen) in some people. This involves using small incisions and generally has a more rapid recovery time.
Extensive gastric bypass (biliopancreatic diversion): In this more complicated gastric bypass operation, the lower portion of the stomach is removed. The small pouch that remains is connected directly to the final segment of the small intestine, thus completely bypassing both the duodenum and jejunum. Although this procedure successfully promotes weight loss, it is not as widely used because of the high risk for nutritional deficiencies.
Gastric bypass surgery that causes malabsorption and restricts food intake produces more weight loss than restriction operations, which only decrease food intake. People who have bypass surgery generally lose two-thirds of their excess weight within two years.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/gastric-bypass-operations

LAP BAND
How It Works
The LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding System is a simple yet advanced gastric banding system that helps you gradually lose and control your weight by reducing the amount of food that your stomach can hold at one time. Allergan is the pioneer of adjustable gastric banding in the United States - this is a constantly evolving technology, involving a great deal of research and development. (click here for the History of the LAP-BAND® System)
The name "LAP-BAND" comes from the minimally invasive surgical technique used (laparoscopy) and the silicone gastric band placed around the top of the upper part of your stomach. The LAP-BAND® System works by helping you control your food intake and supporting long term, sustainable weight loss.
http://www.lapband.com/get_informed/about_lapband/how_it_works/

LIPOSUCTION
What Is Liposuction?
Many Americans have only a vague concept of what liposuction is. Simply put, liposuction is the surgical removal of fat cells through a stainless steel suction tube called a cannula. Liposuction was first performed in 1974 and was a tremendous improvement over previous surgical body contouring techniques. There have been many advances in liposuction procedures over the last few decades, making it one of the safest and most popular body contouring surgeries in the world.
Often used in conjunction with other plastic surgery techniques, liposuction removes pockets of fat from troublesome areas such as the thighs, hips, abdomen, and upper arms. Liposuction procedures vary depending on what your ultimate cosmetic goal is, and whether you are combining liposuction with other plastic surgery procedures. To learn more about liposuction, read the sections below.
http://www.docshop.com/education/cosmetic/body/liposuction/

Diet Pills
Diet drugs have come a long way since the addictive amphetamines of the 1950s. And while each new generation of skinny pills has so far proven more dangerous than effective — remember fen-phen and ephedra? — experts continue their search for a safe diet pill that works. But while these pills offer hope for trimming America's ever-expanding waistline, experts caution that there's no miracle potion out there to automatically shrink you back into your college jeans. "These diet drugs work only if you also change your lifestyle, and that means following the same old advice of dieting and exercising," says Caroline Apovian, M.D., of the Nutrition and Weight Management Center at Boston University Medical Center. The medications also come with some real health risks, ranging from nausea and diarrhea to hypertension and depression.
http://www.redbookmag.com/health-wellness/advice/diet-pills-yl