Teen Obesity
Nation Wide Epidemic
By Katelyn Vestal Period 8
GUESS IT!
Super Size Me
Rating: PG-13
Answer To "GUESS IT!"
Free Music to start your Fitness Playlist
Healthy Cooking
Have Fun Getting Active!
Is Surgery the Best Solution for Teen Obesity? By: Katelyn Vestal
Teen obesity is a serious condition. It is becoming a major epidemic and can cause major health issues. They have surgeries to help combat obesity, but is that really the best solution? Surgery is not the best solution to teen obesity because it is costly, dangerous, and can have harmful after effects.
First of all, surgery can cost anywhere from $17,000 - $35,000. A weight loss plan for six months with Weight Watcher’s is $240. If you can pay $17,000 - $35,000 you should be able to spend $240 for something much safer. You don’t actually need a weight loss plan either. You could just exercise and have a better diet. Not only is surgery costly, its dangerous as well.
Secondly when you choose surgery you’re putting your life at risk. Its a 50/50 chance of survival. If the surgeon makes one mistake such as cutting a lung or a vain, and they can’t fix it fast enough, you could die. Or if they forget to do something else you might die. Over 20,000 people have died as a result of complications with the drug Trasylol administered in triple bypass surgeries to stop bleeding.
Thirdly, even if you don’t die during surgery there can be major, not to mention harmful after effects. Two years after the surgery, most people gain back weight. Sometimes they gain all of it back. Plus most people aren’t able to eat more than a tiny bit of food at one time. If you eat more than half a cup of food there’s a chance that you’d throw up. Many surgery patients find that they can't eat any fruits or vegetables. Some can't eat any food with fat in it or they’ll throw up. Some have to drink hot liquids with their meals to soften their foods. Some can only eat liquid foods, so they end up having to put everything through a blender and drink it. Also according to the US government, nearly 30% of surgery patients develop nutritional deficiencies like anemia or osteoporosis. I believe that you should be able to eat the foods you want without any complications, like throwing up, or having to do so much prep. Like putting your food through the blender.
In conclusion teen obesity is definitely a serious condition. It has become a major epidemic and causes major health issues. The surgeries provided can be helpful, but are costly, dangerous, and have serious after effects. Is surgery really worth it? No.